Waste-to-energy

Velez Diaz, Joelis

Student Work

Waste-to-energy

Pubblico Deposited

The central focus of this project is to promote a circular economy by converting waste to energy. Utilizing energy dense waste feeds: green waste and food waste —namely, lignocellulosic matter, carbohydrates, and proteins— converting these into a valuable bio-crude precursor for fuel, thus achieving clean energy production. In this way, addressing the UN Goals 7 and 12 by tackling various issues such as the need for sustainable energy, and responsible consumption and production. To achieve this the technology utilized was Hydrothermal Liquefaction, a sustainable method, and more energy efficient than competing technologies. The focal point was targeted towards optimizing reaction times, temperatures, determining the effects of hydrogen peroxide (when used as a promoter for the reactions), and finding the ideal feedstocks. Overall, the main goal is to devise an optimal system for HTL, maximizing the yield and quality of the produced biocrude. The main findings from this research were that the radical initiator hydrogen peroxide reduced the amount of biochar but had no substantial impact on the biocrude. The optimal conditions for the best production of biocrude were found to be: HTL with the mix of food waste and green waste, more specifically PKFW+AGW, in a 3:1 ratio, with a temperature of 300°C, and a reaction time of 60 minutes. This is on account of it having an average organic oil and mass yield, while simultaneously having a high carbon percentage (of about 70%) in the oil. Note that this research experience was translated into lesson plans for high school level chemistry.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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