Waste to Energy: Solid Fuel Production from Biogas Plant Digestate and Sewage Sludge by Torrefaction-Process Kinetics, Fuel Properties, and Energy Balance

Thumbnail Image
Date
2020-06-18
Authors
Świechowski, Kacper
Hnat, Martyna
Stępień, Paweł
Stegenta-Dąbrowska, Sylwia
Kugler, Szymon
Koziel, Jacek
Białowiec, Andrzej
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Authors
Person
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Department
Food Science and Human NutritionCivil, Construction and Environmental EngineeringAgricultural and Biosystems EngineeringToxicology
Abstract

Sustainable solutions are needed to manage increased energy demand and waste generation. Renewable energy production from abundant sewage sludge (SS) and digestate (D) from biogas is feasible. Concerns about feedstock contamination (heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria) in SS and D limits the use (e.g., agricultural) of these carbon-rich resources. Low temperature thermal conversion that results in carbonized solid fuel (CSF) has been proposed as sustainable waste utilization. The aim of the research was to investigate the feasibility of CSF production from SS and D via torrefaction. The CSF was produced at 200~300 °C (interval of 20 °C) for 20~60 min (interval 20 min). The torrefaction kinetics and CSF fuel properties were determined. Next, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of SS and D torrefaction were used to build models of energy demand for torrefaction. Finally, the evaluation of the energy balance of CSF production from SS and D was completed. The results showed that torrefaction improved the D-derived CSF’s higher heating value (HHV) up to 11% (p < 0.05), whereas no significant HHV changes for SS were observed. The torrefied D had the highest HHV of 20 MJ∙kg-1 under 300 °C and 30 min, (the curve fitted value from the measured time periods) compared to HHV = 18 MJ∙kg−1 for unprocessed D. The torrefied SS had the highest HHV = 14.8 MJ∙kg−1 under 200 °C and 20 min, compared to HHV 14.6 MJ∙kg−1 for raw SS. An unwanted result of the torrefaction was an increase in ash content in CSF, up to 40% and 22% for SS and D, respectively. The developed model showed that the torrefaction of dry SS and D could be energetically self-sufficient. Generating CSF with the highest HHV requires raw feedstock containing ~15.4 and 45.9 MJ∙kg−1 for SS and D, respectively (assuming that part of feedstock is a source of energy for the process). The results suggest that there is a potential to convert biogas D to CSF to provide renewable fuel for, e.g., plants currently fed/co-fed with municipal solid waste.

Comments

This article is published as Świechowski, Kacper, Martyna Hnat, Paweł Stępień, Sylwia Stegenta-Dąbrowska, Szymon Kugler, Jacek A. Koziel, and Andrzej Białowiec. "Waste to Energy: Solid Fuel Production from Biogas Plant Digestate and Sewage Sludge by TorrefactionProcess Kinetics, Fuel Properties, and Energy Balance." 13, no. 12 Energies (2020): 3161. DOI: 10.3390/en13123161. Posted with permission.

Description
Keywords
Citation
DOI
Copyright
Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2020
Collections