Hydrothermal carbonization of off-specification compost: a byproduct of the organic municipal solid waste treatment

Daniele Basso; Elsa Weiss-Hortala; Francesco Patuzzi; Daniele Castello; Marco Baratieri; Luca Fiori

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2015.01.118

Hydrothermal carbonization of off-specification compost: a byproduct of the organic municipal solid waste treatment

Bioresour Technol. 2015 Apr:182:217-224. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.01.118. Epub 2015 Feb 4.

Authors

Daniele Basso¹, Elsa Weiss-Hortala², Francesco Patuzzi³, Daniele Castello¹, Marco Baratieri³, Luca Fiori⁴

Affiliations

¹ DICAM, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento - via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy.
² Université de Toulouse, Mines Albi, CNRS, Centre RAPSODEE, Campus Jarlard, F-81013 Albi Cedex 09, France.
³ Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano - Piazza Università 5, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
⁴ DICAM, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento - via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy. Electronic address: luca.fiori@unitn.it.

PMID: 25700341
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.01.118

Abstract

The possibility to apply the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process to off-specification compost (EWC 19.05.03) at present landfilled was investigated in this work. The aim was to produce a carbonaceous solid fuel for energy valorization, with the perspective of using HTC as a complementary technology to common organic waste treatments. Thus, samples of EWC 19.05.03 produced by a composting plant were processed through HTC in a batch reactor. Analytical activities allowed to characterize the HTC products and their yields. The hydrochar was characterized in terms of heating value, thermal stability and C, H, O, N, S and ash content. The liquid phase was characterized in terms of total organic carbon and mineral content. The composition of the gas phase was measured. Results show that the produced hydrochar has a great potentiality for use as solid fuel.

Keywords: Biofuel; Hydrochar; Hydrothermal carbonization; Municipal solid waste; Organic waste.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Carbon
Refuse Disposal / methods*
Soil*
Solid Waste

Substances

Soil
Solid Waste
Carbon