Carlo Borgianni

Gasification process of wastes containing PVC

Abstract Solid waste, in dealing with the growing presence of organic compounds, especially plastics, can be considered an important source of energy since they are inexpensive and easily obtainable materials. However, the presence of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the waste can result in a recycling problem when thermal treatment is involved. This work shows the possibilities of recovering energy from waste containing PVC by a gasification process without additional dechlorination facilities. Experimental data obtained in a bench scale two-stage reactor indicate that the addition of Na2CO3 in a blend containing refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and PVC is efficient in eliminating chlorine from the produced off-gas. On the contrary, the less expensive calcium compounds do not show a satisfactory chlorine removal. A thermodynamic simulation of the process substantially leads to the same results. Starting from this study, the working conditions for gasifying waste blends containing PVC in a scaled-up two-stage reactor can be predicted. According to the simulation, the obtained syngas shows that the polluting compounds content is lower than the Italian law limit. As a consequence, it can be used directly to obtain electric power and/or local heating.

Automobile shredder residue gasification

Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR) shows a broad chemical composition owing to the presence of different materials, and its high organic content makes it interesting as a source of energy. In this work, a bench scale two-stage reactor is used for gasifying ASR. The reactor shows an efficient ASR gasification, avoiding the formation of difficult to manage char and tar and allowing an easy recovery of energy. The results of the investigation were used to test a simple model based on mass and energy balances and chemical equilibrium, predicting syngas composition including the presence of problematic elements such as sulphur and chlorine. Gasification data calculated by the model agree in a satisfactory way with the experimental ones. Due to the large variation in ASR composition, the model predicts that ASR gasification is industrially feasible only if a blend of ASR and RDF is used as a reactor feed.

Analysis of the Methanol Production Starting from SSC and Fluegas

In recent years CO2 emissions have become a serious environmental concern and a big effort is aimed at the study of technology for its reduction. Flue gas emissions of power plants are considered the most important source of CO2. All the proposed technologies start with a CO2 separation step, however separation of carbon dioxide from the flue gas is expensive and can be very difficult.