Preparation and Characterization of Optimized Hydrochar from Paper Board Mill Sludge

Abstract

The amount of Paper Board Mill Effluent Treatment Plant Sludge (PBM-ETPS) dumped from paper mills are huge and its conversion into hydrochar for the purpose of energy has broad prospects. this study investigated the optimum conditions for the production of PBM-ETPS derived hydrochar (PBM-ETPSH) through Reponse Surface Methodology (RSM) for more surface area and pore volume with minimal hydrogen to carbon (H/C) and oxygen to carbon (O/C) ratios. The PBM-ETPSH had higher heating value (HHV) of 18.39 MJ kg −1 with fixed carbon percentage of 15.6. Our results showed a reduction in H/C (35.05%) and O/C (43.7%) ratios confirming the coalification of optimized PBM-ETPSH. Thermogravimetric investigations of blending PBM-ETPSH with coal in 1:1 ratio increased its HHV to 22.25 MJ kg −1 making it suitable as an energy alternative for paper mills.

Kinetic and isotherm insights of Diclofenac removal by sludge derived hydrochar

“…This study is a continued part of our earlier published research involving the production of hydrochar from paper board mill sludge and utilizing its activated forms for the removal of orthophosphate from aqueous solutions 1 , 25 .…”

“…In 2017, the worldwide paper production was 413 million tonnes, with India accounting for 3.18% of total paper, newsprint, and paperboard production per annum 1 . The paper board mill industry salvages these paper products after utilization to produce recycled materials such as corrugated cardboard, wrapper and packaging boxes.…”

“…The effluent treatment plants (ETP) of these industries generates semi-solid slurry from primary and secondary clarifiers known as paper board mill sludge which are managed by landfill formations and incineration. It is a heterogeneous biomass material containing very merger solid (10%) and higher moisture content (90%) 1 . Handling and disposal of ETP sludge is a challenging task for every industry, since it possesses many regulatory issues and requires high management cost besides environmental degradation 2 .…”

Challenges and opportunities of hydrothermal carbonisation in the UK; case study in Chirnside

“…From this, the tonnage of hydrochar produced by each respective stream is estimated at 125.1 and 162.9 tonnes per year for BMW and sewage waste, respectively. This data is shown in Table 7 and calculated by eqn (10) and (11). BMW hydrochar pellets: Table 7 can be used to estimate the average NCV of the plants mixed feedstock hydrochar pellet.…”

“…7 This includes (but not limited to) agricultural waste such as alongside horse manure, 8 municipal waste, organic waste from the industrial food sector, sewage sludge, 7 green waste 9 to ber sludge derived from the paper industry. 10 The nal product of this biomass reformation process is a carbonbased solid, referred to as 'hydrochar'. Due to the compactness of nutrients in the hydrochar pellets, which can be produced without binders or expensive drying procedures, 11 they can be applied in agricultural practices for soil amendment.…”