PAPER making! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL ® FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TE Volume 8, Number 3, 2022
Paper mill sludge biochar to enhance energy recovery from pyrolysis: A comprehensive evaluation and comparison ZHONGZHE LIU 1 ,MATTHEW HUGHES 2 , YIRAN TONG 3 , JIZHI ZHOU 4 , WILLIAM KREUTTER 2 , HUGO CORTES LOPEZ 1 , SIMCHA SINGER 2 , DANIEL ZITOMER 3 , PATRICK MCNAMARA 3 . Bio-oil and pyrolysis gas (py-gas) are two pyrolysis products available for potential energy recovery. Crude bio-oil, however, is typically corrosive and unstable, requiring special combustion equipment or catalytic upgrading to produce drop-in-grade fuel. In contrast, py-gas is readily useable in standard equipment for energy recovery. Previous research revealed that Ca-impregnated biochar catalyst improved bio-oil to py- gas conversion. Biochar produced from paper mill sludge (p-sludge) has very high Ca content. In this study, the catalytic ability of p-sludge biochar was systematically evaluated for the first time in pyrolysis. P-sludge biochar resulted in higher py-gas yield (40 wt% of total pyrolysis products) and py-gas energy (8400 kJ of py- gas per biosolids pyrolyzed) than other biochar catalysts (e.g. wood and corn stover biochars) and mineral catalysts (e.g. calcined dolomite). Under some conditions (e.g. high temperature and catalyst loading), catalysis completely eliminated the nonaqueous phase condensate. Alower catalyst-to-feedstock ratio was required using p-sludge biochar compared to other biochars for similar performance. P-sludge biochar also had a longer catalyst lifetime based on the effectiveness over five reuse cycles. Bio-oil catalyzed by p-sludge biochar contained fewer organic constituents based on GC-MS and GC-FID analyses (e.g. toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, phenol, cresol, and indole were not identified after catalysis). Contact information: 1 Department of Physics and Engineering, California State University-Bakersfield, 9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA, 93311, USA 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, USA 3 Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, USA 4 School of Economics, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China. Energy. 239 (2022) 121925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.121925 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
The Paper Industry Technical Association (PITA) is an independent organisation which operates for the general benefit of its members – both individual and corporate – dedicated to promoting and improving the technical and scientific knowledge of those working in the UK pulp and paper industry. Formed in 1960, it serves the Industry, both manufacturers and suppliers, by providing a forum for members to meet and network; it organises visits, conferences and training seminars that cover all aspects of papermaking science. It also publishes the prestigious journal Paper Technology International ® and the PITA Annual Review , both sent free to members, and a range of other technical publications which include conference proceedings and the acclaimed Essential Guide to Aqueous Coating .
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Article 8 – Energy Recovery
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