Title:
Predictive Model for Fuels from Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Municipal Solid Waste
Author(s):
Marx, S., Venter, R.J., Stols, C., Bartlett, D.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
Effective management of the environmental impact of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a global issue linked to urbanization and a rapid increase in the global population. Although MSW has been evaluated as possible feedstock for biofuels/energy production, prediction of possible fuel yields is difficult due to large variances in composition between different locations. Furthermore, although hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is well known for the conversion of wet waste to fuels and energy, yields and composition of products is not only dependent on operating conditions, but also the characteristics of the feedstock. In this paper, we present a simple additivity model based on compositional analysis of the feedstock to predict HTL production yields and characteristics from MSW. Garden waste, food waste, paper sludge, waste plastics, rubber and textiles were used as model individual components to represent MSW. Xylan, a-cellulose, lignin, protein, starch and fat was used as model components to represent typical biomass. An additivity model was derived, based on the characteristics of each individual component of MSW to predict fuel and energy yields from a typical landfill site. Plastics, rubber and textiles were poorly converted, but did not significantly influence HTL conversion of garden waste, food waste and paper pulp in a synthetic MSW mixture. The model showed a good fit for predicting bio-oil and biochar yields of a municipal solid waste mixtures based on compositional analysis of individual components of the mixture. Both the bio-oil and biochar models could be validated with published data. This work holds promise for developing a detailed predictive model that could be applied to any mixture containing any combination of organic components with a known compositional analysis. Prediction of HTL-based fuel/energy potential from a known site could significantly improve business case scenarios and fast track commercialization of waste-to-energy technologies.
Keywords:
municipal solid waste (MSW), landfill, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL)
Topic:
Biomass Resources
Subtopic:
Municipal and industrial wastes
Event:
27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
1AV.2.7
Pages:
141 - 147
ISBN:
978-88-89407-19-6
Paper DOI:
10.5071/27thEUBCE2019-1AV.2.7
Price:
FREE
