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Hydrothermal Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste for Producing Solid Fuel

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Application of Hydrothermal Reactions to Biomass Conversion

Part of the book series: Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology ((GCST))

Abstract

The usage of municipal solid waste (MSW) is usually hindered by its nonuniformity, high moisture, low energy density, and the occurrence of chlorine in the plastic-impregnated waste. A hydrothermal treatment is developed to convert the MSW into solid fuel by employing a commercial scale system of about 1 ton capacity, applying saturated steam at about 2 MPa for about 60 min holding time. It was shown that the product has better uniformity, higher density, and better drying performance compared to MSW without reducing its heating value. The combustion characteristic of the final product was similar to that of sub-bituminous coal, and capable of reducing the SO2 and NO emissions during co-combustion with coal. Additionally, the product showed that about 80 % of the organic chlorine was converted into inorganic, water-soluble chlorine, and the total chlorine content in the water-washed product was down to 16 %. It was calculated that the required energy for the hydrothermal treatment was 0.8 MJ/kg MSW, lower than conventional RDF production process which needs 1.35 MJ/kg MSW. It can be concluded that the hydrothermal treatment can be employed to convert MSW into a chlorine-free solid fuel suitable for co-combustion with coal.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan

    Kunio Yoshikawa

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia

    Pandji Prawisudha

Authors
  1. Kunio Yoshikawa
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  2. Pandji Prawisudha
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Correspondence to Kunio Yoshikawa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Fangming Jin

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Yoshikawa, K., Prawisudha, P. (2014). Hydrothermal Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste for Producing Solid Fuel. In: Jin, F. (eds) Application of Hydrothermal Reactions to Biomass Conversion. Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54458-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54458-3_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

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