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Sludge thermochemical treatment
An introduction to sludge thermochemical treatment methods
Hydrothermal liquefaction
Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of sewage sludge takes place generally at temperatures of 250–400 °C and pressures above 40 bar. The primary end product formed from the generated condensable gases is a highly viscous liquid (a bio-oil) used as either a pure chemical feedstock or an additive in diesel fuels. HTL has been has been extensively investigated for ‘cleaner’ biomass feeds, and specifically microalgae, but is less well developed than hydrothermal carbonisation for sewage sludge applications.
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Sludge thermochemical treatment − an overview
Thermochemical methods are used for either degrading the sludge solids or pre-treating sludge upstream of anaerobic digestion
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Sludge thermochemical reactor design configurations
Various reactor configurations exist for sludge thermochemical treatment which vary in design, operation and application
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Non-oxidative thermochemical treatment
An introduction to non-oxidative sludge thermochemical treatment methods
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Sludge treatment − hydrothermal processes
Hydrothermal sludge treatment employs elevated temperatures and pressures in wet conditions and in the absence of oxygen
Hydrothermal liquefaction related videos
TerraNova® Ultra Hydrothermal Carbonization of Sewage Sludge
A video to demonstrate the principles of the TerraNova® Ultra Hydrothermal Carbonization of sewage sludge.
Hydrothermal liquefaction features and blogs
Feature
Co-processing of sewage digestate by hydrothermal carbonisation
Hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) can be used to co-process anaerobic digestion (AD) digestate and lignocellulosic (or plant-based) feedstocks to improve the the hydrochar product quality. This AD waste co-processing route has been studied at bench scale. Read article
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Gasification
Gasification is conversion at very high temperatures in a partial reducing atmosphere to generate a syngas product
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Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is the decomposition of organics at temperatures of 300-1300 °C in the absence of oxygen at atmospheric pressure
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Thermal hydrolysis processes
Hydrothermal processes employ elevated temperatures and pressures in wet conditions and in the absence of oxygen
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Hydrothermal carbonisation
Hydrothermal carbonisation converts sludge predominantly into a hydrochar solid product at temperatures of 180-300 °C
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Hydrothermal gasification
Hydrothermal gasification converts sludge to a hydrogen and/or methane-rich gas stream at temperatures up to ~550 °C
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Thermal destruction - oxidative
Oxidative methods for sludge thermal treatment comprise incineration, wet air oxidation and supercritical water oxidation
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Thermal destruction - non-oxidative
Non-oxidative thermochemical treatment of sewage sludge refers to treatment at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen
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Thickening, dewatering & drying
Thickening, dewatering and drying extract water from sludge to reduce the sludge volume
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Sludge stabilisation
Sludge stabilisation − alkaline stabilisation, lime and solids dosing, plus anaerobic and aerobic digestion
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Sludge quality
Sludge is the main waste stream from the treatment of wastewater