Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) of Sewage Sludge: GHG Emissions of Various Hydrochar Applications

2018 ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Gievers ◽  
Achim Loewen ◽  
Michael Nelles
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Hydrothermal Carbonization

scholarly journals Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of HTC Concepts Valorizing Sewage Sludge for Energetic and Agricultural Use

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Meisel ◽  
Andreas Clemens ◽  
Christoph Fühner ◽  
Marc Breulmann ◽  
Stefan Majer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Hydrothermal Carbonization ◽  
Additional Energy ◽  
Sludge Digestion ◽  
Water Recirculation ◽  
Agricultural Use ◽  
Agricultural Yields ◽  
Direct Use ◽  
Positive Effect

In many countries, sewage sludge is directly used for energy and agricultural purposes after dewatering or digestion and dewatering. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in additional upstream hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), which could lead to higher yields in the energetic and agricultural use. Twelve energetic and agricultural valorization concepts of sewage sludge are defined and assessed for Germany to investigate whether the integration of HTC will have a positive effect on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The study shows that the higher expenses within the HTC process cannot be compensated by additional energy production and agricultural yields. However, the optimization of the HTC process chain through integrated sewage sludge digestion and process water recirculation leads to significant reductions in GHG emissions of the HTC concepts. Subsequently, nearly the same results can be achieved when compared to the direct energetic use of sewage sludge; in the agricultural valorization, the optimized HTC concept would be even the best concept if the direct use of sewage sludge will no longer be permitted in Germany from 2029/2032. Nevertheless, the agricultural valorization concepts are not generally advantageous when compared to the energetic valorization concepts, as it is shown for two concepts.

scholarly journals Sewage Sludge Treatment by Hydrothermal Carbonization: Feasibility Study for Sustainable Nutrient Recovery and Fuel Production

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2697
Author(s):  
Gabriel Gerner ◽  
Luca Meyer ◽  
Rahel Wanner ◽  
Thomas Keller ◽  
Rolf Krebs
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Hydrothermal Carbonization ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Phosphorus Recovery ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Nutrient Recovery ◽  
Waste Biomass ◽  
Sludge Treatment ◽  
Sewage Sludge Treatment

Phosphorus recovery from waste biomass is becoming increasingly important, given that phosphorus is an exhaustible non-renewable resource. For the recovery of plant nutrients and production of climate-neutral fuel from wet waste streams, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has been suggested as a promising technology. In this study, digested sewage sludge (DSS) was used as waste material for phosphorus and nitrogen recovery. HTC was conducted at 200 °C for 4 h, followed by phosphorus stripping (PS) or leaching (PL) at room temperature. The results showed that for PS and PL around 84% and 71% of phosphorus, as well as 53% and 54% of nitrogen, respectively, could be recovered in the liquid phase (process water and/or extract). Heavy metals were mainly transferred to the hydrochar and only <1 ppm of Cd and 21–43 ppm of Zn were found to be in the liquid phase of the acid treatments. According to the economic feasibility calculation, the HTC-treatment per dry ton DSS with an industrial-scale plant would cost around 608 USD. Between 349–406 kg of sulfuric acid are required per dry ton DSS to achieve a high yield in phosphorus recovery, which causes additional costs of 96–118 USD. Compared to current sewage sludge treatment costs in Switzerland, which range between 669 USD and 1173 USD, HTC can be an economically feasible process for DSS treatment and nutrient recovery.

scholarly journals Application of Hydrochar, Digestate, and Synthetic Fertilizer to a Miscanthus x giganteus Crop: Implications for Biomass and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 8953
Author(s):  
Toby Adjuik ◽  
Abbey M. Rodjom ◽  
Kimberley E. Miller ◽  
M. Toufiq M. Reza ◽  
Sarah C. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Biomass Yield ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Hydrothermal Carbonization ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Miscanthus X Giganteus ◽  
Synthetic Fertilizer ◽  
Ghg Fluxes

Miscanthus x giganteus (miscanthus), a perennial biomass crop, allocates more carbon belowground and typically has lower soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than conventional feedstock crops, but best practices for nutrient management that maximize yield while minimizing soil GHG emissions are still debated. This study evaluated the effects of four different fertilization treatments (digestate from a biodigester, synthetic fertilizer (urea), hydrochar from the hydrothermal carbonization of digestate, and a control) on soil GHG emissions and biomass yield of an established miscanthus stand grown on abandoned agricultural land. Soil GHG fluxes (including CH4, CO2, and N2O) were sampled in all treatments using the static chamber methodology. Average biomass yield varied from 20.2 Mg ha−1 to 23.5 Mg ha−1, but there were no significant differences among the four treatments (p > 0.05). The hydrochar treatment reduced mean CO2 emissions by 34% compared to the control treatment, but this difference was only statistically significant in one of the two sites tested. Applying digestate to miscanthus resulted in a CH4 efflux from the soil in one of two sites, while soils treated with urea and hydrochar acted as CH4 sinks in both sites. Overall, fertilization did not significantly improve biomass yield, but hydrochar as a soil amendment has potential for reducing soil GHG fluxes.

Hydrothermal carbonization characteristics of sewage sludge and lignocellulosic biomass. A comparative study

2019 ◽  
Vol 120 ◽  
pp. 166-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Wilk ◽  
Aneta Magdziarz ◽  
Kandasamy Jayaraman ◽  
Monika Szymańska-Chargot ◽  
Iskender Gökalp
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Lignocellulosic Biomass ◽  
Hydrothermal Carbonization

scholarly journals Influence of Hydrothermal Carbonization on Composition, Formation and Elimination of Biphenyls, Dioxins and Furans in Sewage Sludge

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heiner Brookman ◽  
Fabian Gievers ◽  
Volker Zelinski ◽  
Jan Ohlert ◽  
Achim Loewen
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Total Concentration ◽  
Hydrothermal Carbonization ◽  
Process Conditions ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Composition Formation ◽  
Input Material ◽  
Dioxins And Furans ◽  
Toxicity Equivalent

In many areas of application, the influence of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) on the composition of organic pollutants is still unexplored. In this study, sewage sludge (SS) was carbonized and the input as well as the hydrochar were examined for the organic pollutants: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDFs). The process temperatures of carbonization were 200 °C, 220 °C, and 240 °C and the holding time was 5 h for all tests. The total concentration of PCBs was relatively stable for all temperatures, whereas the toxicity equivalent (WHO-TEQ) at 200 °C and 220 °C increases compared to the input material. The strongest impact on toxicity was observed for PCDDs where concentrations were reduced for higher temperatures, whereas the toxicity increases by more than 16 times for temperatures of 240 °C. The concentrations and toxicity of PCDFs were reduced for all carbonization temperatures. In hydrochar from HTC at 240 °C, the limit values for the application of SS in German agriculture have been exceeded. The results indicate that the process conditions for HTC should be controlled also for SS with average contamination if the hydrochar is to be used as material, especially in agriculture.

scholarly journals Performance and Emissions Comparison between Biomethane and Natural Gas Fuel in Passenger Vehicles

2020 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 08019
Author(s):  
Fabio Cignini ◽  
Antonino Genovese ◽  
Fernando Ortenzi ◽  
Stefano Valentini ◽  
Alberto Caprioli
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Gas Engine ◽  
Natural Gas Engine ◽  
Viable Solution ◽  
Performance And Emissions ◽  
Emilia Romagna Region

Bio-methane as fuel in a natural gas engine is a viable solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The present paper illustrates the results of the first set of measurements carried out in the BiomethER project (EULIFE). BiomethER aimed to design and build two innovative bio-methane production plants, located in Emilia Romagna region (Italy), fed by different feedstock: the first one with sewage sludge and the other with landfill waste. Biogas extracted by the anaerobic digester was cleaned and upgraded to biomethane for road vehicles application. To verify the compatibility of biomethane in conventional compressed natural gas engine (CNG) vehicles, three passenger cars have been tested with two gases: conventional natural gas and bio-methane coming by BiomethER sewage sludge plant. Test concerned dynamic performances and exhaust emissions and was operated on the chassis dynamometer facility, in ENEA Casaccia Research Centre. Preliminary results showed no appreciable deviation was noticeable for fuel consumption and CO2 emissions between the two fuels, acceleration and maximum power were almost the same for the three vehicles tested. The WTW evaluation of GHG emissions for the biomethane resulted in up to 79% lower in comparison with natural gas provided by the Italian pipeline.

Thermodynamic investigation on gasification performance of sewage sludge-derived hydrochar: Effect of hydrothermal carbonization

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (21) ◽  
pp. 10374-10383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyuan Zheng ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Zhi Ying ◽  
Jin Huang ◽  
Shasha Ji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Hydrothermal Carbonization ◽  
Thermodynamic Investigation

scholarly journals Removal of organic contaminant by municipal sewage sludge-derived hydrochar: kinetics, thermodynamics and mechanisms

2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 947-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Wei ◽  
Yitao Liu ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Hui Yu ◽  
Yongzhen Peng
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
High Surface ◽  
High Surface Area ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Hydrothermal Carbonization ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Municipal Sewage Sludge ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pseudo Second Order ◽  
Physical Interactions

Abstract In this work, a microporous municipal sewage sludge-derived hydrochar (MSSH) with relatively high surface area and abundant surface organic functional groups was produced through hydrothermal carbonization. Based on the adsorption results over a wide range of conditions, the prepared MSSH was suggested as a promising adsorbent for CV because of its high and efficient adsorption capability. The experimental data were fitted to several kinetic models. Based on calculated respective parameters such as rate constants, equilibrium adsorption capacities and correlation coefficients, the pseudo second-order model proved the best in describing the adsorption behavior of MSSH. Through kinetics, thermodynamic modeling studies and material characterization, a plausible adsorption process was discussed under the conditions used in this study. It can be confirmed that the adsorption of CV onto MSSH is via both physical interactions (electrostatic interaction and Van der Waals' force) and chemical interactions (formation of H-bonding).

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