Wet Torrefaction of Poultry Litter in a Pilot Unit: A Numerical Assessment of the Process Parameters

A numerical model for the wet torrefaction of poultry litter in a pilot unit was developed in this study. The model accounted for the following process steps: preheating biomass in a feed hopper, feeding biomass into the reactor, fluidized-bed generation using superheated steam, and the supply of additional heat by the electric heating of the reactor walls. Following a “black box” approach, a major assumption of the model is that the behavior of the fluidized-bed reactor is similar to a completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Under this assumption, the properties of the particles and gases do not depend on their location inside the reactor. During wet torrefaction, poultry-litter biomass was heated to a predetermined temperature and decomposed, generating biochar along with a gas phase (torgas), whose amounts depended on the content of inert ash in the biomass particles. Variable optimization in the model was performed using MATLAB software. The model successfully estimated the optimal duration required for the completion of wet torrefaction under various conditions: temperature, batch weight, reactor dimensions, etc. The model was validated using experimental data obtained from a series of wet torrefaction experiments performed in a fluidized bed, and provided reliable estimations of the duration of the process depending on material properties, reactor size and feedstock characteristics.

Understanding the effects of bulk mixing on the determination of the affinity index: consequences for process operation and design

The main objective of this study is to demonstrate the importance of mixing conditions as a source of inconsistencies between half-saturation indices in comparable systems (e.g. conventional activated sludge, membrane bioreactor) when operated at different conditions or different scales. As proof-of-principle, an exemplary system consisting of the second vessel of a hybrid respirometer has been studied. The system has been modeled both using an integrated computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-biokinetic model (assumed to represent the physical system) and a tanks-in-series, completely stirred tank reactor biokinetic model (representing the applied model). The results show that different mixing conditions cause deviations in the half-saturation indices calculated when matching the applied model to the physical system performance. Additionally, sensor location has been shown to impact the calculation of half-saturation indices in the respirometric system. This will only become more pronounced at larger scales. Thus, mixing conditions clearly affect operation and design of wastewater treatment reactors operated at low substrate concentrations. Both operation and design can be improved with the development and application of integrated CFD-biokinetic or compartmental models.