Agnieszka Corsaro

Syngas Production from Pyrolysis of Nine Composts Obtained from Nonhybrid and Hybrid Perennial Grasses

A pyrolysis of compost for the production of syngas with an explicit H2/CO = 2 or H2/CO = 3 was investigated in this study. The composts were obtained from nonhybrid (perennial) grasses (NHG) and hybrid (perennial) grasses (HG). Discrepancies in H2 evolution profiles were found between NHG and HG composts. In addition, positive correlations for NHG composts were obtained between (i) H2 yield and lignin content, (ii) H2 yield and potassium content, and (iii) CO yield and cellulose content. All composts resulted in H2/CO = 2 and five of the nine composts resulted in H2/CO = 3. Exceptionally large higher heating values (HHVs) of pyrolysis gas, very close to HHVs of feedstock, were obtained for composts made from mountain brome (MB, 16.23 MJ/kg), hybrid Becva (FB, 16.45 MJ/kg), and tall fescue (TF, 17.43 MJ/kg). The MB and FB composts resulted in the highest syngas formation with H2/CO = 2, whereas TF compost resulted in the highest syngas formation with H2/CO = 3.

Temporal and seasonal variations of black carbon in a highly polluted European city: Apportionment of potential sources and the effect of meteorological conditions

Black carbon - a primary component of particulate matter emitted from an incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biomass, and biofuels - has been found to have a detrimental effect on human health and the environment. Since black carbon emissions data are not readily available, no measures are implemented to reduce black carbon emissions. The temporal and seasonal variations of black carbon concentrations were evaluated during 2012-2014. The data were collected in the highly polluted European city - Ostrava, Czech Republic, surrounded by major highways and large industries. Significantly higher black carbon concentrations were obtained in Ostrava, relative to other European cities and the magnitude was equivalent to the magnitude of black carbon concentrations measured in Poland and China. The data were categorized to heating and non-heating seasons based on the periodic pattern of daily and monthly average concentrations of black carbon. A higher black carbon concentration was obtained during heating season than non-heating season and was primarily associated with an increase in residential coal burning and meteorological parameters. The concentration of black carbon was found to be negatively correlated with temperature and wind speed, and positively correlated with the relative humidity. Other black carbon sources potentially included emissions from vehicle exhaust and the local steel-producing industry.

The effect of moisture on the release and enrichment of heavy metals during pyrolysis of municipal solid waste

The investigation of the effect of moisture on the release and enrichment of heavy metals during pyrolysis of municipal solid waste is essential. This is important owing to: (i) the increasing amount of metals in the solid product of pyrolysis beyond the normalised level; (ii) the effect of moisture on the overall cost of pyrolysis process; and (iii) the utilisation of pyrolysis products. Seven metals were selected for evaluation: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel, lead, and vanadium. Pyrolysis experiments were conducted in a steel retort at 650 °C. The municipal solid waste samples with moisture contents of 0, 30, and 65 wt% were investigated. The relative enrichment index and release of heavy metals were evaluated individually for liquid and solid fractions. A consistent trend was observed for the majority of metals investigated. Reductions of relative enrichment index and release, i.e. an increase of volatility, were observed for arsenic, chromium, cadmium, nickel, and vanadium, with an increase of municipal solid waste moisture. Whereas divergent results were obtained for lead and mercury. The effect of moisture on the relative enrichment index and release was greater at 65 wt% moisture than at 30 wt% for lead, and more remarkable at 30 wt% than at 65 wt% for mercury.

Conversion of Syngas to LPG and Aromatics Over Commercial Fischer-Tropsch Catalyst and HZSM-5 in a Dual Bed Reactor

The commercial Co-based Fischer-Tropsch catalyst and HZSM-5 were tested in a single reactor process. FT catalyst was evaluated at 463 K, whereas HZSM-5 was evaluated at various temperatures (523, 573, and 623 K). The effect of syngas flow rate, HZSM-5 temperature and loading on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and aromatics selectivities were investigated. HZSM-5 addition suppressed the formation of CO2 and CH4, and remarkably enhanced the simultaneous formation of LPG and aromatics. The optimal operating conditions were identified as: THZM-5 = 623 K, HZSM-5 loading = 2.5 g, and GHSV = 4.8 Lsyngas/(gcat h).

Perennial grasses as prospective energy sources

ABSTRACT Properties of nine composts obtained from perennial grasses for their potential use as an energy source were assessed in this study. The majority of grasses displayed high-moisture, hemicellulose, Na, K, Cl, and N contents, but low lignin content. The effect of composting was pronounced in (i) enhancement of lignin to 461.29%, fixed carbon to 49.46%, and cellulose to 35.05%; and (ii) reduction of Na to 98.77%, moisture to 93.49%, hemicellulose to 89.15%, K to 88.21%, N to 84.43%, Cl to 23.15%, and volatile matter to 12.57%. Subsequently, an increase in higher heating value to 13.90% was observed.

The conversion of syngas to liquid fuels in a dual-bed single reactor process

The effects of HZSM-5 temperature and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) on conversion of syngas to liquid fuels were investigated in a single reactor process. The temperature of FT catalyst was constant (463 K), whereas the temperature of HZSM-5 varied (523, 573, 623 K). The value of WHSV ranged between 16 and 24 h−1. HZSM-5 addition suppressed the formation of CH4 and remarkably enhanced the formation of iso-C5-C12 paraffins. An increase of HZSM-5 temperature resulted in an enhancement of gaseous hydrocarbons, C18+ paraffins, and olefins. The optimal HZSM-5 temperature and WHSV were identified as 523 K and 16 h−1, respectively.

Investigation of the Effects of Hygienization and Moisture Content of Sewage Sludge on Pyrolysis Products

The effects of hygienization and moisture content on pyrolysis of sewage sludge obtained from wastewater treatment plants were examined in this study. The sewage sludge samples with CaO, without CaO, dry and wet (70 wt.% moisture) were used. The pyrolysis experiments were conducted in two reactor setups at 750 °C and 850 °C. The effect of pyrolysis temperature, heating rate on the gaseous pyrolysis products as well as thermal behavior of sewage sludge were investigated. The CaO addition increased the total yield of pyrolysis gaseous products, whereas moisture significantly increased CO2 production as well as CO and CH4.

Characterization of Organic Matter Released during Analytical Pyrolysis of PM10 Samples Obtained from Biomass and Oil Combustion

The composition and origin of organic matter (OM) released form three PM10 samples obtained from biomass and oil combustion was investigated in this study. The Py-GC/MS system was applied and experiments were conducted at 5 °C/min to 750 °C. A difference in the composition and therefore in OM between the examined samples was observed. The greatest variation in released compounds was noted for PM10 sample obtained from biomass combustion. Whereas the least variation in composition was observed for PM10 sample obtained from B oil sample. The latter consisted in majority of squalene (81.5 %). As a result, the quantity of OM released by the biomass sample was greater by 18.2 % and 33.9 % that the quantity released by A and B oil samples, respectively.