PFI-RP: Conversion of Organic Wastes Streams by Torrefaction for Bio-Power Application

这个PFI项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是生产清洁、可再生和负担得起的固体燃料颗粒，该颗粒由经过处理的废塑料混合物生产，作为燃煤电厂的替代燃料。使用废物作为清洁燃料(不含氯、硫和氮)的原料将防止由于填埋而造成的生态破坏，并将通过减少空气排放来促进美国公众的健康和福利。球团矿热值高，成本低，将与化石煤竞争，提高美国的经济竞争力。这一努力正在加强美国学术界和产业界(两个来自学术界和一个来自行业的合作伙伴)之间的合作伙伴关系。该项目在密歇根科技大学和爱达荷大学都有重大的教育贡献，并将为博士学生在工作场所的这个新兴领域做好准备。最后，这项工作将通过推动这一领域的发展，提高美国公众的科学素养和对科学技术的参与度。拟议中的项目涉及对主要由纤维和塑料组成的固体废物进行焚烧，将其转化为清洁、高热值的固体燃料。将固体废物用于能源应用的主要挑战是：(1)废物流中的不均匀；(2)废物中对环境和设备有害的物质，如氯和钾；(3)转换后的燃料应可研磨，以便在燃煤锅炉中应用。该团队由两个学术机构和一个商业实体组成，正在开发解决这些障碍的新方法。通过对金属和玻璃进行分类，并将分类后的废物与纤维或塑料废物混合，以获得一致的混合，解决了不均质性问题。托雷斯蒂正在帮助解决后两个障碍。在烘烤过程中，材料变得易碎，因此可以被粉碎到所需的尺寸。通过将易碎的物质溶解在水溶液中，溶解危险物质，特别是氯和钾，在燃烧后去除危险物质。塑料被发现在最终颗粒的质量中起着重要作用，因为它增加了热值，并使生产安全、耐用和防水的高密度颗粒成为可能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this PFI project is the production of clean, renewable, and affordable solid fuel pellets produced from torrefied waste-plastic blend as a drop-in fuel for use in coal power plants. The use of waste as a feedstock for a clean fuel (void of chlorine, sulfur, and nitrogen) will prevent ecological damage, due to landfilling, and will advance the health and welfare of the American public by reduced air emissions. The pellets are of high calorific value and at low cost that will compete with fossil coal, increasing the economic competitiveness of the U.S. This effort is enhancing partnerships between academia and industry (two partners from the academia and one from the industry) in the U.S. The program has significant educational contributions, both at Michigan Technological University and the University of Idaho, and will prepare Ph.D. students for this emerging field in the workplace. Finally, this work will improve public scientific literacy and engagement with science and technology in the U.S., by advancing this area. The proposed project deals with torrefaction of solid waste that comprises mostly fiber and plastic to convert them into clean, high-calorific-value solid fuels. The main challenges in using solid wastes for energy applications are: (1) inhomogeneity within the waste streams; (2) materials in the waste that are hazardous to the environment and equipment, such as chlorine and potassium; and (3) the converted fuel should be grindable to enable its applications in coal-fired boilers. The team, comprising two academic institutions and a commercial entity, is developing new approaches to solve these hurdles. Inhomogeneity is being resolved by sorting metals and glass and blending the sorted waste with fiber or plastic waste to obtain a consistent blend. Torrefaction is helping to solve the two latter hurdles. During torrefaction, the material becomes brittle and hence can be pulverized to the required size. The hazardous materials are removed after torrefaction, by dissolving the brittle material in aqueous solution that dissolved the hazardous material, specifically chlorine and potassium. Plastic has been found to play a major role in the quality of final pellets, as it increases the calorific value and enables producing high density pellets that are safe, durable, and water resistant.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.