Transforming Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Into Fuel via the Gasification/Pyrolysis Process

Author(s):  
Eilhann Kwon ◽  
Kelly J. Westby ◽  
Marco J. Castaldi

Municipal solid waste (MSW) gasification/pyrolysis enhancement using CO2 as gasification medium has been studied to understand the performance under various reaction conditions. MSW gasification/pyrolysis has been characterized thermo-gravimetrically under various atmospheres covering the gasification/pyrolysis process, which has been used as a basis for scale-up experimental work using a flow-through reactor (FTR) and drop tube reactor (DTR) (0.5 g/min of sample, 4–5 sec residence time, 500°C-1000°C). For example, FTR has been used to carry out the fast pyrolysis process having a nominal heating rate of 800°C/min. Oils produced from the FTR have been condensed and analyzed with GC/MS. Among identified chemical species in the pyrolysis sample, the 10 most abundant compounds (benzene, toluene, styrene, limonene, 2,3-dimethyl-1-heptene, benzoic acid, ethylbenzene, indole, xylene, and d-allose) in the pyrolysis oil sample were determined and quantified. These 10 abundant chemical species are substantially reduced in the presence of CO2. This leads to a substantial increase of C1–5 hydrocarbons in gaseous (non-condensable) products and a reduction of pyrolysis oil (∼20%) as well. In addition, MSW samples have been tested in the DTR at a temperature range from 500°C and 1000°C under various atmospheres with CO2 concentrations of 0% and 30%. The release of all chemical species from the DTR was determined using μ-GC. For example, CO (∼30%), H2 (∼25%), and CH4 (∼10%) under the presence of CO2 were generated and introducing CO2 into the gasification process substantially enhanced syngas production. Finally, steam gasification using different ratios of biomass to polyethylene has been explored to better understand the enhanced steam gasification of MSW that is mostly composed of biomass and polymer. Overall thermal degradation trend is the similar, but steam gasification of MSW needs a relatively long residence time and high temperature as compared to biomass.

2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Sirirermrux ◽  
K. Laohalidanond ◽  
S. Kerdsuwan

Surrogate municipal solid waste (MSW) has been prepared to represent high plastic content waste with low fixed carbon in order to be utilized for feedstock for the gasification and pyrolysis. The major components are plastic (PE and PP), food and kitchen waste, and paper, whereas the minor components are textile, rubber, and biomass. Reactions were conducted in small drop tube fixed bed reactor with isothermal reaction temperature at 700, 800, and 900 °C. Steam was supplied as the gasifying agent for the main purpose of producing hydrogen-rich gas. Pyrolysis was also conducted at the same condition to observe the characteristic differences. Producer gas, including H2, CH4, and CO, of both the reactions was a function of the temperature, whereas CO2 showed a reversed trend when the reaction temperature was increased. Simple kinetic models of those gaseous formations were studied for describing the related parameters. It is challenging to determine the kinetics of the individual gas generation while most kinetic studies have focused on mass deterioration. The commonly used kinetic model of nucleation of Avrami–Erofe'ev (A2) could well predict the mechanism of the gas formation of gasification. In parallel, the pyrolysis conformed to the A3 model due to the slower rate of char and tar decomposition when the gasifying agent was absent. The activation energy of each gaseous species and the fitting of experimental data with the selected models are examined in this study.


2011 ◽  
Vol 474-476 ◽  
pp. 1099-1102
Author(s):  
Hai Ying Zhang ◽  
Yi Zheng ◽  
Hong Tao Hu ◽  
Jing Yu Qi

Bottom ash from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) has been previously suggested as an adsorbent for removing heavy metals from wastewater due to its high porosity and large surface area. In this study the adsorption characteristics of heavy metals were investigated using various particle sizes of MSWI bottom ash. The adsorption experiment was conducted using synthetic wastewater containing Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd as a function of residence time, initial pH, ash dosage and particle size, respectively. The adsorption rate increased with decreasing particle size and with increasing residence time. Through the above analysis, this work proved that bottom ash was effective in adsorbing the four heavy metals.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 4573-4587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uisung Lee ◽  
J. N. Chung ◽  
Herbert A. Ingley

Fuel ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 263 ◽  
pp. 116509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arif Rahman Saleh ◽  
Bambang Sudarmanta ◽  
Hamzah Fansuri ◽  
Oki Muraza

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