Open AccessCarbonization of excess sewage sludge using superheated water vapor to produce fuel
Author(s) -
N. A. Haridan,
H Yoshida,
Mohamad Amran Mohd Salleh,
Shamsul Izhar
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/991/1/012068
Subject(s) - carbonization , heat of combustion , sewage sludge , waste management , pulp and paper industry , water vapor , materials science , chemistry , sewage , environmental science , organic chemistry , combustion , adsorption , engineering
Excess sewage from activated sludge treatment of municipal wastewater is considered one of the most severe solid waste problems. The excess sewage sludge with 64% moisture content was converted to valuable material throughout the superheated water vapor carbonization process. The superheated water vapor carbonized the excess sewage sludge using a bench-scale Rotary Kiln setup to make fuel at 200°C, 250°C, 300°C, 350°C and 400°C. The effect of carbonization with superheated water vapor on the yield and heating value of fuel was studied. In 1 h treatment, organic waste lost about 70% of its original weight due to volatile release during carbonization. The yield of carbonization decreased when the temperature of carbonization increased. A carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur (CHNS) analyzer was used to measure the elemental composition of the carbonized product. The heating value (LHV) of the fuel carbonized at 250°C was 15.0 MJ/kg, determined by a bomb calorimeter. Thus, this study has shown that instead of the landfill, excess sewage sludge can be utilized using superheated water vapor for conversion to fuel.