Production and Techno-Economic Evaluation of Biocrude Oil and Biochar through Hydrothermal Liquefaction Process

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Food wastes, municipal solid waste, as well as Industrial, Commercial & Institutional wastes and agricultural wastes pose a risk to human health and the environment such that they merit special management. Currently, the cheapest and commonly used management technologies for these wastes are landfilling or combustion. However, landfill releases methane and other greenhouse gases. Moreover, it has potential to pollute surrounding soil and groundwater. Hydrothermal liquefaction technology could convert carbonaceous waste streams into biocrude oil 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 biocrude 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 food wastes, municipal solid wastes and Industrial, Commercial & Institutional wastes by using hydrothermal liquefaction; (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 biocrude oil for commercial applications; (4) perform material and product characterization studies; and (5) perform techno-economic analysis for accessing process safety and environmental issues. NULIFE GreenTech in Saskatoon, Canada is the industry partner for this proposed research. The technology developed from this study will be implemented at NULIFE GreenTech's production facility for manufacturing biocrude oil and biochar. The intended hydrothermal liquefaction facility with automated reaction system will allow Prof. Ajay K. Dalai at the University of Saskatchewan and his collaborators including NULIFE GreenTech to conduct hydrothermal liquefaction of diverse Canadian biogenic wastes that is indispensably needed in-house for the experimental and theoretical aspects of waste conversion to biofuels and fine chemicals.**