Utilizing Hydrothermal Carbonization for Sustainable Processing and Reuse of Oily Sludge
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 28, Issue 4
Abstract
Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is emerging as a promising technology for converting waste biomass into a dense coal-like product known as hydrochar. Oily sludge (OS), known for its toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic effects, is classified as hazardous waste, posing negative implications for both humans and the ecosystem if improperly disposed. Consequently, the conversion of hazardous oily sludge into safe and renewable products offers significant benefits. To investigate the HTC process further, a design matrix consisting of 20 experimental runs was utilized, integrating results obtained from HTC experiments as input for response surface methodology (RSM). The variables were restricted to a temperature range of 175°C–250°C, a time span of 0.5–2 h, and a solid load range of 3%–8%. Analyzing the data, it was observed that raw sludge initially exhibited a hydrogen-to-carbon (H/C) ratio of 1.33 and an oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) ratio of 0.59. However, following HTC processing, these ratios decreased significantly to 0.18 (at 250°C, 2 h, 3% solid load) and 0.691 (at 250°C, 1 h, 5.5% solid load), respectively. These decreases can be attributed to dehydration and decarboxylation reactions that occurred during the HTC process. The model equation developed using RSM was: carbon content = 66.29 + 6.98A + 0.3515B–2.60C – 0.0412AB + 0.1730AC – 0.0037BC – 1.83A2 + 0.8005B2 – 0.945C2. Carbon densification increased from 1.09 to 1.45 with hydrochar retaining 66.5%–77.65% of the carbon. HTC holds promise as a sustainable technology for carbon and energy recovery.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and codes generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The corresponding author acknowledges the financial support received from Anna University, for carrying out this work.
Author contributions: A. Leena Pauline: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Data curation, Writing—original draft, Writing—review and editing, Visualization. Kurian Joseph: Conceptualization, Validation, Resources, Writing—review and editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition, Project administration.
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Published In
Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 28 • Issue 4 • October 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 15, 2023
Accepted: May 13, 2024
Published online: Jul 30, 2024
Published in print: Oct 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Dec 30, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Business management
- Carbon fibers
- Design (by type)
- Disaster risk management
- Disasters and hazards
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Environmental engineering
- Fibers
- Industrial wastes
- Load factors
- Materials engineering
- Pollutants
- Practice and Profession
- Recycling
- Sludge
- Solid wastes
- Structural design
- Structural engineering
- Sustainable development
- Wastes
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