Hydrothermal carbonisation of poultry litter: Effects of initial pH on yields and chemical properties of hydrochars

Bashir M Ghanim; Witold Kwapinski; James J Leahy

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2017.04.025

Hydrothermal carbonisation of poultry litter: Effects of initial pH on yields and chemical properties of hydrochars

Bioresour Technol. 2017 Aug:238:78-85. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.04.025. Epub 2017 Apr 9.

Authors

Bashir M Ghanim¹, Witold Kwapinski¹, James J Leahy²

Affiliations

¹ Carbolea Research Group, Department of Chemical and Environmental Science, University of Limerick, Ireland.
² Carbolea Research Group, Department of Chemical and Environmental Science, University of Limerick, Ireland. Electronic address: j.j.leahy@ul.ie.

PMID: 28433917
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.04.025

Abstract

In this study, hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) of poultry litter (PL) was carried out to evaluate the impact of initial pH using acetic acid (CH₃COOH) or sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) on the yields and properties of hydrochar (HC). The PL samples were treated by HTC at various initial pH and at 250°C for 2h. The HCs produced were characterized by ultimate, proximate and fibre analyses as well as heating value and surface area measurements. The results indicated that undertaking HTC in the presence of acids (CH₃COOH, H₂SO₄) significantly affects the yields and properties of HC. The C content and HHV of the HC increased with decreasing initial pH. In the presence of H₂SO₄, the hydrochar yield (HY) increased while the ash content was significantly reduced. The lowest ash content and the highest HY were measured in the HC produced from the suspension with an initial pH of 2 using H₂SO₄.

Keywords: Acetic acid; Hydrochar; Hydrothermal carbonisation; Poultry litter; Sulphuric acid.

MeSH terms

Animals
Carbon
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Manure*
Poultry*
Refuse Disposal*
Temperature

Substances

Manure
Carbon