Fang Chih Chang

The characteristics of organic sludge/sawdust derived fuel

A fundamental study of the characteristics of a sludge refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and the combustion behaviors were done. The test data demonstrate good results for the development of energy recovery technology of organic sludge or waste. The ash deposit formation propensity has been based on pretreatment, temperature and the ratio of organic sludge to sawdust. The usage of organic sludge and waste as an alternative fuel is cost effective and has environmental benefits.

Removal of chloride from MSWI fly ash.

The high levels of alkali chloride and soluble metal salts present in MSWI fly ash is worth noting for their impact on the environment. In addition, the recycling or reuse of fly ash has become an issue because of limited landfill space. The chloride content in fly ash limits its application as basis for construction materials. Water-soluble chlorides such as potassium chloride (KCl), sodium chloride (NaCl), and calcium chloride hydrate (CaCl(2) · 2H(2)O) in fly ash are easily washed away. However, calcium chloride hydroxide (Ca(OH)Cl) might not be easy to leach away at room temperature. The roasting and washing-flushing processes were applied to remove chloride content in this study. Additionally, air and CO(2) were introduced into the washing process to neutralize the hazardous nature of chlorides. In comparison with the water flushing process, the roasting process is more efficient in reducing the process of solid-liquid separation and drying for the reuse of Cl-removed fly ash particles. In several roasting experiments, the removal of chloride content from fly ash at 1050°C for 3h showed the best results (83% chloride removal efficiency). At a solid to liquid ratio of 1:10 the water-flushing process can almost totally remove water-soluble chloride (97% chloride removal efficiency). Analyses of mineralogical change also prove the efficiency of the fly ash roasting and washing mechanisms for chloride removal.

Removal of chloride from electric arc furnace dust

Electric arc furnace (EAF) dust with high chloride content increases the threat of dioxin emissions and the high chloride content reduces the value of recycled zinc oxide produced by EAF dust recycling plants. This study conducts a number of laboratory experiments to determine the technical feasibility of a new dechlorination method. These methods consist of a series of roasting processes and water washing processes. In the roasting process, EAF dust was heated in a tube furnace to evaluate the parameters of atmospheric conditions, roasting temperature, and roasting time. Results indicate that sulfation roasting is more efficient in reducing chloride content than other roasting processes. The water washing process can totally remove water-soluble chloride at a solid to liquid ratio of 1:10. However, the remaining water-insoluble substance is difficult to dechlorinate. For example, lead chloride forms a hydroxyl-halide (PbOHCl) and lead chloride carbonate (Pb(2)CO(3)Cl(2)) agglutinative matrix that is hard to wash away.

Resource recovery of organic sludge as refuse derived fuel by fry-drying process

The organic sludge and waste oil were collected from the industries of thin film transistor liquid crystal display and the recycled cooking oil. The mixing ratio of waste cooking oil and organic sludge, fry-drying temperatures, fry-drying time, and the characteristics of the organic sludge pellet grain were investigated. After the fry-drying process, the moisture content of the organic sludge pellet grain was lower than 5% within 25 min and waste cooking oil was absorbed on the dry solid. The fry-drying organic sludge pellet grain was easy to handle and odor free. Additionally, it had a higher calorific value than the derived fuel standards and could be processed into organic sludge derived fuels. Thus, the granulation and fry-drying processes of organic sludge with waste cooking oil not only improves the calorific value of organic sludge and becomes more valuable for energy recovery, but also achieves waste material disposal and cost reduction.

Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 with SiC recovered from silicon sludge wastes

In the present study, silicon carbide (SiC) recovered from silicon sludge wastes is used as catalysts for photocatalytic reduction of CO2. By X-ray diffraction, it is clear that the main components in the silicon sludge wastes are silicon and SiC. The grain size of the SiC separated from the sludge waste is in the range of 10–20 µm in diameter (observed by scanning electron microscopy). By solid state nuclear magnetic resonance, it is found that α-SiC is the main crystallite in the purified SiC. The α-SiC has the band-gap of 3.0 eV. To yield C1–C2 chemicals from photocatalytic reduction of CO2, hydrogen is provided by simultaneous photocatalytic splitting of H2O. Under the light (253–2000 nm) illumination, 12.03 and 1.22 µmol/h g cat of formic and acetic acids, respectively, can be yielded.

Utilization of spent activated carbon to enhance the combustion efficiency of organic sludge derived fuel

This study examines the heating value and combustion efficiency of organic sludge derived fuel, spent activated carbon derived fuel, and derived fuel from a mixture of organic sludge and spent activated carbon. Spent activated carbon was sampled from an air pollution control device of an incinerator and characterized by XRD, XRF, TG/DTA, and SEM. The spent activated carbon was washed with deionized water and solvent (1N sulfuric acid) and then processed by the organic sludge derived fuel manufacturing process. After washing, the salt (chloride) and sulfide content could be reduced to 99% and 97%, respectively; in addition the carbon content and heating value were increased. Different ratios of spent activated carbon have been applied to the organic sludge derived fuel to reduce the NO(x) emission of the combustion.

Selective leaching process for the recovery of copper and zinc oxide from copper-containing dust

The purpose of this study was to develop a resource recovery procedure for recovering copper and zinc from dust produced by copper smelting furnaces during the manufacturing of copper-alloy wires. The concentrations of copper in copper-containing dust do not meet the regulation standards defined by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration; therefore, such waste is classified as hazardous. In this study, the percentages of zinc and copper in the dust samples were approximately 38.4% and 2.6%, respectively. To reduce environmental damage and recover metal resources for industrial reuse, acid leaching was used to recover metals from these inorganic wastes. In the first stage, 2 N of sulphuric acid was used to leach the dust, with pH values controlled at 2.0–3.0, and a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:10. The results indicated that zinc extraction efficiency was higher than 95%. A selective acid leaching process was then used to recover the copper content of the residue after filtration. In the second stage, an additional 1 N of sulphuric acid was added to the suspension in the selective leaching process, and the pH value was controlled at 1.5–2.0. The reagent sodium hydroxide (2 N) was used as leachate at a pH greater than 7. A zinc hydroxide compound formed during the process and was recovered after drying. The yields for zinc and copper were 86.9–93.5% and 97.0–98.9%, respectively.

Separation of gallium and copper from hydrochloric acid by D2EHPA

AbstractSolvent extraction offers a better option for gallium recovery among many techniques. The liquid–liquid extraction of gallium(III)–copper(II) solution from hydrochloric acid medium using di-2-ethyl-hexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA) in kerosene was studied. The effect of the reagent concentration and other parameters on the extraction of gallium(III)–copper(II) was also studied. The stoichiometry of the extracted species of gallium(III) was determined based on the slope analysis method. The maximum extraction efficiency of gallium was 99.9%. The gallium that contained organic phase could be stripped completely by 1 M HCl.

Conducting glasses recovered from thin film transistor liquid crystal display wastes for dye-sensitized solar cell cathodes

Transparent conductive glasses such as thin film transistor (TFT) array and colour filter glasses were recovered from the TFT-liquid crystal display panel wastes by dismantling and sonic cleaning. Noble metals (i.e. platinum (Pt)) and indium tin oxide (ITO) are generally used in the cathode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). To reduce the DSSC cost, Pt was replaced with nano nickel-encapsulated carbon-shell (Ni@C) nanoparticles, which were prepared by carbonization of Ni2+-β-cyclodextrin at 673 K for 2 h. The recovered conductive glasses were used in the DSSC electrodes in the substitution of relatively expensive ITO. Interestingly, the efficiency of the DSSC having the Ni@C-coated cathode is as high as 2.54%. Moreover, the cost of the DSSC using the recovered materials can be reduced by at least 24%.

Treatment of high copper-containing wastewater by producing magnetic material

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to provide a materialization method for high copper-containing wastewater and compare it with conventional chemical precipitation process and ferrite process. In the first stage of mineralization, the copper-containing wastewater was added into a tank with NaOH solution followed by the addition of Fe3+ ion and heated to 70°C. The molar ratio between Fe3+ and divalent metal ions () was given and the pH value of solution was controlled in the strong alkaline range (11.0–11.5). In the inverse mixing method, the whole precipitation process was carried out in the strong alkaline solution, which resulted in the simultaneous precipitation of Fe3+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+ ions. The first reaction was complete when the ORP remained constant. Finally, the formation of the magnetic ferrite, Fe2+ ion was added into the solution accompanied by heating and aeration. The magnetic separation could be then used for solid–liquid separation. Therefore, these results reveal that not only the ...