Hydrothermal Treatment: An Innovative Pre-treatment Technology for Biomass and Waste Resourse

Pre-treatment of biomass and waste resources requires crushing, drying deorizing and dechlorination, which are normally different processes. But we have devised innovative hydrothermal treatment (HT) technology which can perform these four pre-treatment functions in one process utilizing high pressure saturated steam only. This technology is characterized by low energy consumption for the pre-treatment.

Solid raw material (any biomass resources including high moisture content sludge and any burnable waste resources municipal solid wastes) are fed into the reactor, and than, 200C, 2MPa saturated steam is supplied into the reactor for about 40 minutes and the blades installed inside the reactor rotates to mix the raw material with steam for about 20 minutes. Then the product is discharged after extracting steam. The product is powder-like subtstance and the moisture content is almost the same as the raw material, but easily to be dried by natural drying or air blow drying. There is almost no bad smell in the solid product, and the product can be used as a solid fuel which can be easily mixed with coal for power generation or cement production.

The content the presentation are as follows.

>Fundamentals and commercial application of the HT technology in Japan

>Application of the HT technology to municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment focusing on the dechlorination scheme to produce chlorine-free solid fuel

>Application of the HT technology to sewage sludge (bio-solid) treatment focusing on the dehydration and drying scheme to produce solid fuel with minimum energy usage

>Possible usage of HT product as a co-firing fuel with coal. 

Kunio Yoshikawa. Profesor, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.

(Thermofluid 2011)