Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/80270
Title: Conversion of sewage sludge to clean solid fuel using hydrothermal carbonization: Hydrochar fuel characteristics and combustion behavior
Authors: He, Chao
Giannis, Apostolos
Wang, Jing-Yuan
Keywords: Hydrothermal desulfurization
Hydrochar formation
Fuel ratio
Oxygen containing functional group
Combustion kinetics
Issue Date: 2013
Source: He, C., Giannis, A., & Wang, J. Y. (2013). Conversion of sewage sludge to clean solid fuel using hydrothermal carbonization: Hydrochar fuel characteristics and combustion behavior. Applied Energy, 111. 257-266.
Series/Report no.: Applied Energy
Abstract: Conventional thermochemical treatment of sewage sludge (SS) is energy-intensive due to its high moisture content. To overcome this drawback, the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process was used to convert SS into clean solid fuel without prior drying. Different carbonization times were applied in order to produce hydrochars possessing better fuel properties. After the carbonization process, fuel characteristics and combustion behaviors of hydrochars were evaluated. Elemental analysis showed that 88% of carbon was recovered while 60% of nitrogen and sulfur was removed. Due to dehydration and decarboxylation reactions, hydrogen/carbon and oxygen/carbon atomic ratios reduced to 1.53 and 0.39, respectively. It was found that the fuel ratio increased to 0.18 by prolonging the carbonization process. Besides, longer carbonization time seemed to decrease oxygen containing functional groups while carbon aromaticity structure increased, thereby rendering hydrochars highly hydrophobic. The thermogravimetric analysis showed that the combustion decomposition was altered from a single stage for raw sludge to two stages for hydrochars. The combustion reaction was best fitted to the first order for both raw sludge and hydrochars. The combustion of hydrochars is expected to be easier and more stable than raw sludge because of lower activation energy and pre-exponential factor.
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/80270
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/40465
ISSN: 0306-2619
DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.04.084
Schools: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering 
Research Centres: Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute 
Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre 
Rights: © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Fulltext Permission: none
Fulltext Availability: No Fulltext
Appears in Collections:CEE Journal Articles

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