Utilization of Energy Crops and Sewage Sludge in the Process of Co-Gasification for Sustainable Hydrogen Production

Abstract

The increasing world energy demand driven by economic growth and technical development contributes to the severe depletion of conventional energy resources and various environmental issues. The need for the employment of low-emission, highly efficient technologies of thermochemical conversion, flexible in terms of both raw resources and product applications is declared, when the utilization of solid, alternative fuels is considered. Gasification is the proven technology of lower unit emission of contaminants and higher efficiency than combustion systems, as well as versatile applicability of the synthesis gas, as its main product. While the conversion of fossil fuels in gasification systems is technically mature, the co-utilization of biomass and waste still requires research and optimization in various technical and economic aspects. In this paper, the results of experimental work on co-gasification of energy crops biomass and sewage sludge with steam to produce hydrogen-rich gas are presented. The process is performed at 700, 800 and 900 • C under atmospheric pressure. The experimental results are analyzed with the application of the Hierarchical Clustering Analysis. The optimal results in terms of hydrogen production in co-gasification of selected biomass and sewage sludge are observed for Helianthus tuberosus L. blends of 10% w/w of sewage sludge content at 900 • C.

A Review of Sludge-to-Energy Recovery Methods

“…These processes leads to additional capital and operational costs but the external clean-up method is the most expensive [149,150]. The use of fuel blends for gasification was also studied for the maximization of hydrogen and synthesis gas yield [151]. Finally, the impact of fuel properties such as moisture content results in promotion of tar generation and additional energy requirements for drying the sludge.…”

“…Secondly, the need for tar removal from the syngas is a necessity which must be done either inside the gasifier (experimental conditions optimisation or catalyst) and/or after the gasifier (post-reaction clean up using scrubbers). These processes leads to additional capital and operational costs but the external clean-up method is the most expensive [150,151]. The use of fuel blends for gasification was also studied for the maximization of hydrogen and synthesis gas yield [152].…”

BioEnergy and BioChemicals Production from Biomass and Residual Resources

“…The twenty-one published papers cover a variety of biomass or waste residuals that have been converted into different types of energy, biofuels or biochemicals including heat [1,11,16], methane [2,4,[7][8][9]17,[19][20][21], electricity [2,11,16], short chain fatty acids [2,19], ethanol [3,12,19], syngas [5,19], nutrient pellets [6], hydroxymethylfurfura [15], and hydrogen [2,10,14,18,19]. The key information including biomass or residuals, products, and technology for the production and type of research are summarized in Table 1.…”

“…Smoliński et al [10] conducted experimental work on hydrogen production through the gasification of energy crop biomass and sewage sludge.…”

BioEnergy and BioChemicals Production from Biomass and Residual Resources

“…While the conversion of biomass and waste into syngas in gasification systems is technically mature, the production of hydrogen as the primary product is rarely reported, which still requires development and optimization to address various technical and economic challenges. Smoliński et al [10] conducted experimental work on hydrogen production through the gasification of energy crop biomass and sewage sludge.…”