Wet Torrefaction of Poultry Litter in a Pilot Unit: A Numerical Assessment of the Process Parameters

A numerical model for the wet torrefaction of poultry litter in a pilot unit was developed in this study. The model accounted for the following process steps: preheating biomass in a feed hopper, feeding biomass into the reactor, fluidized-bed generation using superheated steam, and the supply of additional heat by the electric heating of the reactor walls. Following a “black box” approach, a major assumption of the model is that the behavior of the fluidized-bed reactor is similar to a completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Under this assumption, the properties of the particles and gases do not depend on their location inside the reactor. During wet torrefaction, poultry-litter biomass was heated to a predetermined temperature and decomposed, generating biochar along with a gas phase (torgas), whose amounts depended on the content of inert ash in the biomass particles. Variable optimization in the model was performed using MATLAB software. The model successfully estimated the optimal duration required for the completion of wet torrefaction under various conditions: temperature, batch weight, reactor dimensions, etc. The model was validated using experimental data obtained from a series of wet torrefaction experiments performed in a fluidized bed, and provided reliable estimations of the duration of the process depending on material properties, reactor size and feedstock characteristics.