Development of a mobile, pilot scale hydrothermal liquefaction reactor: Food waste conversion product analysis and techno-economic assessment

Aierzhati, Aersi; Watson, Jamison; Si, Buchun; Stäblein, Michael; Wang, Tengfei; Zhang, Yuanhui

doi:10.1016/j.ecmx.2021.100076

Cited by 25 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Researchers have examined the technologies for biocrude oil production extensively by using various bio-feedstocks (e.g., biomass, food waste, sludge) and conversion processes (FT process, pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction [HTL]). ,,− Considering the fungibility of biocrude relative to petroleum crude, we used biocrude from the biomass gasification FT process and from upgraded HTL-sludge as examples in this study.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Analysis of the Potential and Cost of the U.S. Refinery Sector Decarbonization

Sun

Cappello

Elgowainy

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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In 2019, U.S. petroleum refineries emitted 196 million metric tons (MT) of CO2, while the well-to-gate and the full life cycle CO2 emissions were significantly higher, reaching 419 and 2843 million MT of CO2, respectively. This analysis examines decarbonization opportunities for U.S. refineries and the cost to achieve both refinery-level and complete life-cycle CO2 emission reductions. We used 2019 life-cycle CO2 emissions from U.S. refineries as a baseline and identified three categories of decarbonization opportunity: (1) switching refinery energy inputs from fossil to renewable sources (e.g., switch hydrogen source); (2) carbon capture and storage of CO2 from various refining units; and (3) changing the feedstock from petroleum crude to biocrude using various blending levels. While all three options can reduce CO2 emissions from refineries, only the third can reduce emissions throughout the life cycle of refinery products, including the combustion of fuels (e.g., gasoline and diesel) during end use applications. A decarbonization approach that combines strategies 1, 2, and 3 can achieve negative life-cycle CO2 emissions, with an average CO2 avoidance cost of $113–$477/MT CO2, or $54–$227/bbl of processed crude; these costs are driven primarily by the high cost of biocrude feedstock.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Analysis of the Potential and Cost of the U.S. Refinery Sector Decarbonization

Sun

Cappello

Elgowainy

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…This project shows different experiments that they have done using different types of livestock and techniques (Stablein et al, 2020 ; Watson et al, 2021a , b ). One of the most interesting projects carried out is the one where they use food waste from a university campus and combine it with wastewater to produce biocrude (Aierzhati et al, 2021 ). Their research is pushing the boundaries not only in technological innovation but also in quantifying its economic viability (Watson et al, 2020 ) and at the same time expanding the boundaries of FEW Nexus research and applications.…”

Section: Analysis and Discussion Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific diasporas and the advancement of science diplomacy: The InFEWS US-China program in the face of confrontational “America First” diplomacy

Prieto

Scott

2022

Front. Res. Metr. Anal.

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The challenges and consequences of climate change have brought together governments around the world to advance scientific knowledge and programmatic actions to develop mitigation strategies while promoting sustainable development. The United States and China—the countries with the highest science expenditures globally—have historically developed a range of joint international research collaborations. However, under the “America First” agenda put forth by the Trump Administration, bilateral diplomatic relations with China reached their highest confrontational peak. Under this scenario science diplomacy served as a catalyst to maintain scientific collaborations between both countries. In 2018, the US National Science Foundation and the China National Natural Science Foundation launched the InFEWS US-China program to promote collaborations to expand food, energy, and water nexus (FEW Nexus) research and applications. Over the past four years, 20 research projects have been awarded from the US side and 47 publications have been reported as research output. By carrying out a descriptive analysis of the InFEWS US-China research and scholarly outputs, we find evidence of the crucial role played by the Chinese scientific diaspora who led 65% of the projects awarded. We find that there is a generally good understanding of the interdependencies between FEW systems included in the project abstracts. However, in the InFEWS US-China scholarly outputs generated to date, there is a lack of usage of a clear FEW Nexus theoretical framework. Further research should address intentional policies that enhance the involvement of scientific diasporas in their home countries to better address climate, sustainability, and development challenges.

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“…Overall, 78 to 86% of the organics were volatilized before 400 • C, revealing the gasoline-, diesel-, jet fuel-, and marine fuel-loaded nature of the bio-crude. As a comparison, Aierzhati et al [55] reported approximately 78 and 90% of weight loss under the same atmosphere for bio-crude obtained from the HTL of food waste in pilot-and lab-scale apparatuses, respectively. Furthermore, as it was presented by Shah et al [33], the sewage sludge-driven bio-crude corresponded to 65% of volatilization before 400 • C. The presented curves indicate that using alkali catalysts is favorable to producing more volatile bio-crudes, which can be beneficial for the commercialization of technology by assigning less expensive separation and refining post-processes.…”

Section: Tg Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Bio-Crude Production Improvement during Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Biopulp by Simultaneous Application of Alkali Catalysts and Aqueous Phase Recirculation

et al. 2021

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This study focuses on the valorization of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (biopulp) by hydrothermal liquefaction. Thereby, homogeneous alkali catalysts (KOH, NaOH, K2CO3, and Na2CO3) and a residual aqueous phase recirculation methodology were mutually employed to enhance the bio-crude yield and energy efficiency of a sub-critical hydrothermal conversion (350 °C, 15–20 Mpa, 15 min). Interestingly, single recirculation of the concentrated aqueous phase positively increased the bio-crude yield in all cases, while the higher heating value (HHV) of the bio-crudes slightly dropped. Compared to the non-catalytic experiment, K2CO3 and Na2CO3 effectively increased the bio-crude yield by 14 and 7.3%, respectively. However, KOH and NaOH showed a negative variation in the bio-crude yield. The highest bio-crude yield (37.5 wt.%) and energy recovery (ER) (59.4%) were achieved when K2CO3 and concentrated aqueous phase recirculation were simultaneously applied to the process. The inorganics distribution results obtained by ICP reveal the tendency of the alkali elements to settle into the aqueous phase, which, if recovered, can potentially boost the circularity of the HTL process. Therefore, wise selection of the alkali catalyst along with aqueous phase recirculation assists hydrothermal liquefaction in green biofuel production and environmentally friendly valorization of biopulp.

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Development of a mobile, pilot scale hydrothermal liquefaction reactor: Food waste conversion product analysis and techno-economic assessment

Cited by 25 publications

References 53 publications

An Analysis of the Potential and Cost of the U.S. Refinery Sector Decarbonization

An Analysis of the Potential and Cost of the U.S. Refinery Sector Decarbonization

Scientific diasporas and the advancement of science diplomacy: The InFEWS US-China program in the face of confrontational “America First” diplomacy

Bio-Crude Production Improvement during Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Biopulp by Simultaneous Application of Alkali Catalysts and Aqueous Phase Recirculation

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