Renewable Energy and Green Chemicals Production using Hydrothermal Technology

城市固体废物(MSW)和农业废物对人类健康和环境构成风险，因此需要进行特别管理。目前，大多数的处理方法是垃圾填埋。然而，垃圾填埋场会释放甲烷和其他温室气体。此外，它还有可能污染周围的土壤和地下水。水热液化(HTL)技术可以将含碳废气转化为环保的生物质原油和生物质煤，但存在生产成本高、出水产物识别困难等问题。迫切需要开发一种经济上可行的生物原油生产工艺，并分析产品中的成分，以增加未充分利用的废物的价值。拟议研究的目标是：(1)利用高温/高压亚临界水高压釜从城市固体废物和农业废物中生产燃料和化工产品；(2)开发一种环保的分离工艺，以便将石油从固体中分离出来；(3)优化用于商业应用的生物原油催化提质的工艺参数；(4)进行工艺模拟研究和经济分析，以获取工艺安全和环境问题。生物原油将通过催化转化过程升级为生物燃料和生物化学品。NSERC资助的萨斯喀彻温省大学化学和生物工程专业的研究人员没有现成的水热高压灭菌系统，需要该设施通过先进的动手仪器培训来提高他们的研究生产率和受训者的质量，并发展他们在废物管理方面的合作研究基地。这项研究开发的技术将有助于利用城市生活垃圾和农业废弃物制造生物原油和生物煤。如果这一努力取得成功，萨斯喀彻温大学的研究人员和他们的合作者将能够进行内部迫切需要的研究，并就废物转化为生物燃料和精细化学品的实验和理论方面对大量学生进行培训。

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.