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PYROLYSIS AND GASIFICATION OF SEWAGE SLUDGE IN A SPOUTED‐BED REACTOR
Author(s) -
Paterson N.,
Zhuo Y.,
Reed G. P.,
Dugwell D. R.,
Kandiyoti R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-6593.2004.tb00503.x
Subject(s) - sewage sludge , pyrolysis , char , wood gas generator , waste management , chemistry , pulp and paper industry , environmental science , sewage treatment , coal , engineering
The use of sewage sludge as the fuel for fluidised‐bed gasifiers, which form part of combined heat and power systems, has been studied in an EU funded project. A laboratory‐scale spouted‐bed reactor was used to investigate the pyrolysis and gasification behaviour of a suite of sewage sludges in the temperature range 770–980°C and pressures between 0.2 and 0.4 MPa. High solids conversions were measured, on a dry ash‐free basis, which were consistent with the high volatile‐matter content of the sludge‐based fuels. It seems that most of the fuel was pyrolysed and converted to gas and condensable tars/oils. The proportion of hydrogen which was formed increased with the gasifier temperature and with the char bed height in the reactor, and this was consistent with an increase in the extent of cracking of the tars/oils. The nitrogen content of the sewage sludge was high, and this led to high ammonia concentrations in the fuel gas. Operating at the higher end of the temperature range tended to decrease the amount of ammonia in the fuel gas.