Title:
Is There a Best Way for the Hydrothermal Treatment of Moist Bio-Waste? First Experiences from a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach
Author(s):
Reißmann, D., Thrän, D., Bezama, A.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
A considerable part of high water containing biogenic residues does not have a proper, resource-efficient use in several European countries yet. Especially, their challenging logistics and the low energy efficiencies are identified as crucial barriers for managing these materials via conventional biomass treatment paths. Thus, hydrothermal processes (HTP) seem to be promising for the treatment of such residual streams, as for their optimal processing them actually require an input containing 70% to 90% water content. This work presents a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach for HTP based on a combination of the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) embedded in a step-wise, iterative procedure. The aim is to make HTP comparable to each other and to relevant alternative treatment options for the first time and hence facilitate the decision on which treatment path is most suitable for mobilizing wet and sludgy biogenic residues under certain requirements. The results help to reduce uncertainties, e.g. for private and public funders or other decision makers that are unaware of HTPs competitiveness and environmental performance under certain requirements and assumptions. The approach was validated with data from literature. The first calculations indicate that hydrothermal gasification seems most promising with regarding to the used data and assumptions made. However, these exemplary calculations are not reliable and representative so far which is primary reasoned in a currently insufficient and in part not comparable data basis.
Keywords:
assessment, biotechnology, hydrothermal processes
Topic:
Biomass Conversion Technologies for Fuels, Chemicals and Materials
Subtopic:
Biomass hydrothermal liquefaction
Event:
26th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
3DO.9.2
Pages:
1039 - 1043
ISBN:
978-88-89407-18-9
Paper DOI:
10.5071/26thEUBCE2018-3DO.9.2
Price:
FREE
