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CO-GASIFICATION OF DENSIFIED SLUDGE AND SOLID WASTE IN A DOWNDRAFT GASIFIER
Citation:
Vigil, S. AND G. Tchobanoglous. CO-GASIFICATION OF DENSIFIED SLUDGE AND SOLID WASTE IN A DOWNDRAFT GASIFIER. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/2-82/047 (NTIS PB82230293), 1982.
Description:
Thermal gasification, the subject of this report, is a new process for the co-disposal of densified sewage sludge and solid waste in a co-current flow, fixed bed reactor (also called a downdraft gasifier). The advantages of this technology include lower costs than other sewage sludge incineration of pyrolysis technologies, simple construction and the ability to use a variety of fuels including agriculture wastes and other biomass materials. Essentially the gasification process involves the partial combustion of a carbonaceous fuel to generate a low energy combustible gas and a char. Operationally fuel flow is by gravity with air and fuel moving co-currently through the reactor. The low energy gas produced is primarily carbon monoxide, hydrogen and nitrogen and trace amounts of methane and other hydrocarbons. Demonstrating that a suitable gasifier fuel could be made with a simple front end system consisting of source separation of solid waste, sludge dewatering, and fuel densification was an object of this project. The fuel cubes produced for this project were about equal in energy content to wood (Douglas Fir 21.05 MJ/kg, fuel cubes 19MJ/kg).