Syngas generation from different types of sewage sludge using microwave-assisted pyrolysis with silicon carbide as the absorbent

Doo Young Oh; Daegi Kim; Hanna Choi; Ki Young Park

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14165

Syngas generation from different types of sewage sludge using microwave-assisted pyrolysis with silicon carbide as the absorbent

Heliyon. 2023 Mar 1;9(3):e14165. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14165. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Authors

Doo Young Oh¹, Daegi Kim², Hanna Choi³, Ki Young Park¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Environmental Technology Engineering, Daegu University, 201 Daegudae-ro, Jillyang-eup, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do 38453, Republic of Korea.
³ Taeyoung E&C, 111 Yeouigongwon-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul 07241, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

In this study, the pyrolysis of sewage sludge was explored through microwave-assisted pyrolysis. Three kinds of sludge (primary sludge, waste-activated sludge, and digested sludge) from a sewage treatment process were used. All three kinds of sewage sludge had a low microwave absorption capacity; therefore, an absorber was added to enable microwave-assisted pyrolysis. By using silicon carbide as the heating element, it was possible to increase the temperature within a short time by applying microwaves. During the microwave-assisted pyrolysis of sewage sludges, the amount of gas generated and the H₂ and CO fraction of the produced gas increased as temperature increased. The pyrolysis of waste-activated sludge produced the greatest quantity of gas. However, the primary sludge produced the highest amount of syngas in terms of H₂ and CO, which indicate the high-quality of the syngas.

Keywords: Absorber; Hydrogen; Microwave assisted pyrolysis; Sewage sludge; Syngas.