Waste to Energy CSR: Hydrothermal Liquefaction for Low Carbon Fuels and Roads

Waste-to engines and roads- A circular economy and carbon neutral approach to solid waste management through hydrothermal liquefaction

Objective

• Process demonstration in a reasonable scale to treat kilograms of wastes to generate crude oil and biochar for testing purposes. Demonstrating the applications of the crude oil for energy generation. Evaluating the application of the bio-char generated from different wastes. Testing of the process in a continuous reactor.

Description

• Waste-to-energy is one of the growing concerns with many industries and commercials for waste treatment. Among the different waste-to-energy/fuel processes, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a promising pathway for the production of sustainable biofuels. Hydrothermal process is among the most reliable and efficient technologies, which can convert any kind of bio-organic or bio-inorganic waste into liquid, solid and gaseous fuels.

Impact

• Feedstock selection, procurement, preparation and characterization (1-2 months). Generation of large volumes of crude oil using a 100 L batch reactor (3-10 months). Blending of crude oil with diesel/fuel oil and tests in diesel generators (6-12 months). Blending of bio-char with bitumen for road construction (6-12 months). Process demonstration using continuous reactor for 500 L of crude oil (13-18 months).