Pyrolysis of Wastewater Biosolids: Lab-Scale Experiments and Modeling

Koch, J.; Zitomer, Daniel

doi:10.2175/193864714816196655

Cited by 10 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Pyrolysis for Energy Recovery and Biochar Production. Biochar, a potentially inexpensive product of biosolids pyrolysis, may be a practical adsorbent for ammonia-N. Pyrolysis of biosolids could contribute to a sustainable wastewater process by reclaiming biosolids energy in the form of py-gas and py-oil and producing a valuable biochar adsorbent that can be used as a soil amendment (McNamara et al, 2014;Van Zwieten et al, 2010). Pyrolysis is an abiotic process in which biomass is heated to greater than 300 8C and thermally degraded under anaerobic conditions (Inguanzo et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Three products can be recovered from pyrolysis: biochar (a solid end-product similar to charcoal), py-oil (a liquid end-product that condenses when the pyrolysis products are cooled to ambient temperature, similar to crude oil), and py-gas (a gas end-product that does not condense at ambient temperature, similar to natural gas). The py-gas fraction is readily available as an energy source as it is mainly CH 4 ,H 2 , and CO (Furness et al, 2000) with a heating value of approximately 5000 to 20 000 KJ/kg-gas, depending on pyrolysis temperature (McNamara et al, 2014). If the hot gas emitted from pyrolysis is not cooled, but remains at a high temperature, then the py-oil remains in the gas phase with the py-gas, and this blend could be directly combusted for energy recovery.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Biochar from Pyrolysis of Biosolids for Nutrient Adsorption and Turfgrass Cultivation

Carey

McNamara²,

Zitomer³

2015

Water Environment Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

At water resource recovery facilities, nutrient removal is often required and energy recovery is an ever-increasing goal. Pyrolysis may be a sustainable process for handling wastewater biosolids because energy can be recovered in the py-gas and py-oil. Additionally, the biochar produced has value as a soil conditioner. The objective of this work was to determine if biochar could be used to adsorb ammonia from biosolids filtrate and subsequently be applied as a soil conditioner to improve grass growth. The maximum carrying capacity of base modified biochar for NH 3 ÀN was 5.3 mg/g. Biochar containing adsorbed ammonium and potassium was applied to laboratory planters simulating golf course putting greens to cultivate Kentucky bluegrass. Planters that contained nutrient-laden biochar proliferated at a statistically higher rate than planters that contained biosolids, unmodified biochar, peat, or no additive. Nutrient-laden biochar performed as well as commercial inorganic fertilizer with no statistical difference in growth rates. Biochar from digested biosolids successfully immobilized NH 3 ÀN from wastewater and served as a beneficial soil amendment. This process offers a means to recover and recycle nutrients from water resource recovery facilities. Water Environ. Res., 87, 2098Res., 87, (2015.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar from Pyrolysis of Biosolids for Nutrient Adsorption and Turfgrass Cultivation

Carey

McNamara²,

Zitomer³

2015

Water Environment Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…22 The energy available in py-gas and py-oil is enough to cover the energy costs of the pyrolysis process and offset some of the energy required to dry biosolids. 23 Biochar is used for different land-application purposes than biosolids because biochar has less available nutrients and carbon. 24 Still, biochar has many benefits when used as a soil conditioner.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging investigators series: pyrolysis removes common microconstituents triclocarban, triclosan, and nonylphenol from biosolids

Ross

Zitomer

Miller

et al. 2016

Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reusing biosolids is vital for the sustainability of wastewater management. Pyrolysis is an anoxic thermal degradation process that can be used to convert biosolids into energy rich py-gas and py-oil, and a beneficial soil amendment, biochar. Batch biosolids pyrolysis (60 minutes) revealed that triclocarban and triclosan were removed (to below quantification limit) at 200°C and 300°C, respectively. Substantial removal (>90%) of nonylphenol was achieved at 300°C as well, but 600°C was required to remove nonylphenol to below the quantification limit. At 500°C, the pyrolysis reaction time to remove >90% of microconstituents was less than 5 minutes. Fate studies revealed that microconstituents were both volatilized and thermochemically transformed during pyrolysis; microconstituents with higher vapor pressures were more likely to volatilize and leave the pyrolysis reactor before being transformed than compounds with lower vapor pressures. Reductive dehalogenation products of triclocarban and suspected dehalogenation products of triclosan were identified in py-gas. Application of biosolids-derived biochar to soil in place of biosolids has potential to minimize organic microconstituents discharged to the environment provided appropriate management of py-gas and py-oil.

show abstract

“…Pyrolysis of biosolids yields a solid fraction (biochar), a gas fraction (py-gas), and a liquid fraction (py-oil), which are all usable byproducts (Woolf et al, 2014;Inguanzo et al, 2002;McNamara et al, 2014). The py-gas and py-oil can be combusted for energy with the organic fraction of the py-oil having a heating value comparable to conventional fuels like coal and the py-gas having a value comparable to coke oven gas .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pyrolysis of wastewater biosolids significantly reduces estrogenicity

Hoffman

Zitomer

2016

Journal of Hazardous Materials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Most wastewater treatment processes are not specifically designed to remove micropollutants. Many micropollutants are hydrophobic so they remain in the biosolids and are discharged to the environment through land-application of biosolids. Micropollutants encompass a broad range of organic chemicals, including estrogenic compounds (natural and synthetic) that reside in the environment, a.k.a. environmental estrogens. Public concern over land application of biosolids stemming from the occurrence of micropollutants hampers the value of biosolids which are important to wastewater treatment plants as a valuable by-product. This research evaluated pyrolysis, the partial decomposition of organic material in an oxygen-deprived system under high temperatures, as a biosolids treatment process that could remove estrogenic compounds from solids while producing a less hormonally active biochar for soil amendment. The estrogenicity, measured in estradiol equivalents (EEQ) by the yeast estrogen screen (YES) assay, of pyrolyzed biosolids was compared to primary and anaerobically digested biosolids. The estrogenic responses from primary solids and anaerobically digested solids were not statistically significantly different, but pyrolysis of anaerobically digested solids resulted in a significant reduction in EEQ; increasing pyrolysis temperature from 100°C to 500°C increased the removal of EEQ with greater than 95% removal occurring at or above 400°C. This research demonstrates that biosolids treatment with pyrolysis would substantially decrease (removal>95%) the estrogens associated with this biosolids product. Thus, pyrolysis of biosolids can be used to produce a valuable soil amendment product, biochar, that minimizes discharge of estrogens to the environment.

show abstract

Pyrolysis of Wastewater Biosolids: Lab-Scale Experiments and Modeling

Cited by 10 publications

References 6 publications

Biochar from Pyrolysis of Biosolids for Nutrient Adsorption and Turfgrass Cultivation

Biochar from Pyrolysis of Biosolids for Nutrient Adsorption and Turfgrass Cultivation

Emerging investigators series: pyrolysis removes common microconstituents triclocarban, triclosan, and nonylphenol from biosolids

Pyrolysis of wastewater biosolids significantly reduces estrogenicity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About