BIOENERGY POTENTIAL FROM WASTE BIOMASS CO-PYROLYSIS: A COMPREHENSIVE MODELING AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION

Abstract

Waste materials offer the potential for eco-friendly thermal conversion through pyrolysis, reducing waste generation and carbon emissions while yielding valuable products. A comprehensive literature review has highlighted crucial research gaps, underscoring the significance of optimizing process parameters and predicting co-pyrolysis product yields. This thesis underscores the promise of co-pyrolyzing diverse biomasses and plastics, resulting in accelerated reaction rates and reduced activation energy for enhanced efficiency, further enhanced by adding natural calcium-based catalysts. The study also elucidates the impact of feed moisture content and particle size on the reaction mechanism and process feasibility. Additionally, the research delves into the intricate influence of feed proximate analysis results, temperature, and heating rate on bio-oil, char, gas yields, and product composition, presenting these insights through quadratic empirical equations based on response surface methodology. Introduction of diverse catalysts - CaCO3, CaO, Ca(OH)2, and zeolite - during ternary biomass co-pyrolysis results in notable improvement in bio-oil composition, primarily reducing acids and elevating aromatic compounds. Further bolstering our findings, sensitivity analysis for quinary feed co-pyrolysis using simulation models substantiates the profound impact of temperature, heating rate, and blending ratios on product yields. In addition, the techno-economic analysis highlights the significant upfront investment but a relatively short payback period and a strong return on investment. Lastly, this study presents a thematic framework driven by systematic literature review findings for Qatar, encompassing recommendations for waste management system updates, including the need for a circular economy market establishment, stakeholder collaboration, and public-private sector cooperation. Therefore, future research and development endeavours should harness these novel insights to propel thermochemical waste management towards a circular economy, including bioenergy utilization, transforming the national paradigm.

Date of Award	2023
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering