Energy Recovery from Municipal Sewage Sludge: Combustion Kinetics in a Varied Oxygen–Carbon Dioxide Atmosphere

Jurand Bień () and Beata Bień
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Jurand Bień: Faculty of Infrastructure and Environment, Czestochowa University of Technology, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland
Beata Bień: Faculty of Infrastructure and Environment, Czestochowa University of Technology, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-15

Abstract: Energy from municipal sewage sludge can be obtained by applying a thermal conversion method. In this study, the combustion kinetics of municipal sewage sludge were analyzed in an O 2 /CO 2 atmosphere. Studies were conducted in different gaseous atmospheres consisting of varying proportions of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The participation of oxygen was as follows: 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% vol. The experimental temperatures varied from 873 to 1273 K. The experimentally obtained results helped establish the basic kinetic parameters, such as the reaction order n, factor Ko and activation energy E a of sludge grains. The values of the activation energy E a and K o were, respectively, 46 kJ/mol and 0.0127 mg/m 2 sPa. They show that the limiting factor of combustion is the diffusion of oxygen and that combustion reactions take place in the outer layer of the unreacted core. Therefore, sludge is promising for energy recovery because it has quite a high net calorific value (NCV) and a high gross calorific value (GCV). The GCV was 14.1 MJ/kg and the NCV was 12.8 MJ/kg. The experimental studies with a wide range of process parameters helped to create an array of apparent reaction rates as a function of the temperature and oxygen concentration, showing the significant effect of oxygen on the apparent reaction rate, in contrast to the effect of temperature.

Keywords: sewage sludge; O 2 /CO 2 atmosphere; energy activation; apparent reaction rate; thermogravimetry (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: 2024
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