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Hydrothermal Carbonization of Biosolids from Waste Water Treatment Plant

Author

Listed:
  • Dhananjay Bhatt

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dalhousie University, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada)

  • Ankita Shrestha

    (Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Ave, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada)

  • Raj Kumar Dahal

    (Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Ave, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada)

  • Bishnu Acharya

    (Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Ave, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada)

  • Prabir Basu

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dalhousie University, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada)

  • Richard MacEwen

    (City of Charlottetown, 199 Queen Street, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2, Canada)

Abstract

The high moisture content of biosolid from a wastewater treatment plant limits its use for agriculture and energy applications. This limitation could be obviated by hydrothermal carbonization, which requires less energy compared to other thermochemical treatment processes, and results in stabilized solid hydrochar product. The present study examined this option by hydrothermally treating the biosolid at three temperatures (180, 200 and 220 °C) for 30 min, and at 200 °C for 15, 30 and 60 min. An increase of 50% in the heating value of the biosolid was obtained after this carbonization. A reduction in the nitrogen concentration in hydrochar was noted with an increase in phosphorus concentration, but potassium concentration remained largely unchanged. Additionally, the carbon to nitrogen ratio in the hydrochar product was higher than the biosolid that makes it suitable for agriculture applications. The chemical oxygen demand of the process water was in the range of 83,000 to 96,000 mg/L. The study thus provides insight into high-value products that can be generated by the hydrothermal carbonization of biosolids.

Suggested Citation

  • Dhananjay Bhatt & Ankita Shrestha & Raj Kumar Dahal & Bishnu Acharya & Prabir Basu & Richard MacEwen, 2018. "Hydrothermal Carbonization of Biosolids from Waste Water Treatment Plant," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-10, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:11:y:2018:i:9:p:2286-:d:166701
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sergio Capareda, 2011. "Biomass Energy Conversion," Chapters, in: Majid Nayeripour & Mostafa Kheshti (ed.), Sustainable Growth and Applications in Renewable Energy Sources, IntechOpen.
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    Cited by:

    1. Adrian Knapczyk & Sławomir Francik & Marcin Jewiarz & Agnieszka Zawiślak & Renata Francik, 2020. "Thermal Treatment of Biomass: A Bibliometric Analysis—The Torrefaction Case," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-31, December.
    2. Neel Patel & Bishnu Acharya & Prabir Basu, 2021. "Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) of Seaweed (Macroalgae) for Producing Hydrochar," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, March.
    3. Manfredi Picciotto Maniscalco & Maurizio Volpe & Antonio Messineo, 2020. "Hydrothermal Carbonization as a Valuable Tool for Energy and Environmental Applications: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-26, August.
    4. Anna Partridge & Ekaterina Sermyagina & Esa Vakkilainen, 2020. "Impact of Pretreatment on Hydrothermally Carbonized Spruce," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-13, June.
    5. Zhiyu Li & Weiming Yi & Zhihe Li & Chunyan Tian & Peng Fu & Yuchun Zhang & Ling Zhou & Jie Teng, 2020. "Preparation of Solid Fuel Hydrochar over Hydrothermal Carbonization of Red Jujube Branch," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-10, January.
    6. Shrestha, Ankita & Acharya, Bishnu & Farooque, Aitazaz A., 2021. "Study of hydrochar and process water from hydrothermal carbonization of sea lettuce," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 589-598.

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