Process Design and Evaluation of Supercritical Water Gasification of Tomato Residue in a Rural Area of Japan

Abstract

In this study, we focus on the use of tomato residue produced in the rural area of Kita-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan as a feedstock for gas production via supercritical water gasification (SCWG). Calculation was made based on the amount of tomato residue produced in this area. The process was designed based on consideration of the energy recovery achieved with a heat exchanger network. The reactor temperature and pressure were set at 600 and 25 MPa, respectively. The process efficiency was calculated based on thermodynamics. The potential of tomato residue for gas production was evaluated from the perspective of energy, economics, and environmental impact. As a result, the net produced energy was calculated as 10.45 MJ/kg-feedstock from SCWG of tomato residues feedstock. In total, annual amount of tomato residues can produce energy to supply 76 MWh of electricity with a carbon dioxide reduction of 13.6 t.