The effluents of the sugar and bio-ethanol industry, mainly vinasse as well as lignocellulosic waste, are produced in high volumes. Therefore, their treatment and valorization would reduce the environmental impact and make this industry more productive and competitive. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential use of press mud (lignocellulosic waste), vinasse powder, and vinasse sludge from an extraction process with ethanol, as raw materials for conventional pyrolysis evaluating the physicochemical characteristics that affect this thermochemical process, such as calorific power, density, ash content, volatile material, moisture and nitrogen, sulfur, carbon and hydrogen content, thermogravimetric profile, and quantification of lignin cellulose and hemicellulose. The batch pyrolysis experiments showed that all three wastes could be converted successfully into more valuable products. The powder vinasse led to the formation of the lowest content of bio-char (42.7%), the highest production of volatiles (61.6 wt.%), and the lowest ash content (20.5 wt.%). Besides, it showed the high heating value of 15.63 MJ/kg. Meanwhile, the extraction sludge presented the highest liquid yield (32%) with the lowest gas formation (18.2 wt.%) and the lowest heating value of 8.57 MJ/kg. Thus, the sludge could be a good feedstock for production of bio-oil and bio-char.
Thermal storages can contribute to decarbonization in storing energy of fluctuating renewables and waste heat of industrial processes by decoupling supply and demand. A great opportunity to decrease the cost of high temperature storage is given by single tank thermocline storage systems, where large fractions of cost-intensive high-temperature fluids are replaced by a low-cost filler material. Besides low cost, a suitable filler material must meet various other criteria such as suitable thermal conductivity, high heat capacity, high volumetric density of the packed bed of fillers, sufficient mechanical stability and compatibility with high temperature fluids in the temperature range of the application. For one promising type of ceramic filler, the compatibility with a solar salt mixture of 60 wt% sodium nitrate (NaNO 3 ) and 40 wt% potassium nitrate (KNO 3 ) was investigated. The filler is composed of additives, such as metallic slag and various other low-cost recycled materials, and a phosphatic binder resistant to the high temperatures. For testing, fillers were immersed in the corresponding fluids in a crucible under air atmosphere. The samples were thermally cycled in an oven up to the maximum foreseen temperature (250-550 °C for the salt). Overall, the ceramics tested show good compatibility with solar salt and have the potential to significantly reduce the cost of the storage systems.
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