Renewable Energy and Green Chemicals Production using Hydrothermal Technology

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Municipal solid waste (MSW) and agricultural waste pose a risk to human health and the environment such that they merit special management. Currently, majority of treatment method is landfill. However, landfill releases methane and other greenhouse gases. Moreover, it has potential to pollute surrounding soil and groundwater. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) technology could convert carbonaceous waste streams into bio-crude oil and bio-coal that is environmentally green but pose several challenges including high production cost and effluent product identification. There is compelling need to develop an economically viable production process of bio-crude oil and analyze the component in the product in order to add value to underutilized waste. The objectives of the proposed study are to: (1) produce fuel and chemical products from municipal solid waste and agricultural waste by using a high temperature / high pressure subcritical water autoclave; (2) develop an eco-friendly separation process in order to separate oil from the solids; (3) optimize the process parameters for catalytic upgrading of the bio-crude oil for commercial applications; (4) perform process simulation studies and economic analysis for accessing process safety and environmental issues. Bio-crude will be upgraded to biofuels and bio-chemicals through catalytic conversion processes. NSERC funded researchers, in Chemical and Biological Engineering, at the University of Saskatchewan do not have ready access to a hydrothermal autoclave system and require this facility to enhance their research productivity, quality of trainees with advanced hands-on instrument training, and develop their base for collaborative research on waste management. The technology developed from this study will assist in utilizing MSW and agricultural waste for manufacturing bio-crude oil and bio-coal. If this endeavor is successful, the intended hydrothermal autoclave with automated reaction system will allow the researchers at the University of Saskatchewan and their collaborators to conduct research that is desperately needed in-house and train a significant number of students on the experimental and theoretical aspects of waste conversion to biofuels and fine chemicals.