Hydrothermal Carbonization of Biosolids from Waste Water Treatment Plant

Dhananjay Bhatt, Ankita Shrestha, Raj Kumar Dahal, Bishnu Acharya, Prabir Basu and Richard MacEwen
Additional contact information
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

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-10

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.

Keywords: hydrothermal carbonization; biosolid; hydrochar; process water; biogas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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