• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.851-856
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• 2011

In this study, char was produced via pyrolysis of sewage sludge and the effects of reaction conditions(temperature, heating rate, reaction time) on characteristics of char were investigated. As temperature increased from $300^{\circ}C$ to $800^{\circ}C$, the surface area of sludge char increased in general but decreased at $700^{\circ}C$ temporarily. The effect of heating rate on specific surface area and pore volume of char was not large. Meanwhile, specific surface area and pore volume increased with reaction time but average pore diameter decreased.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.591-599
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• 2019

To convert sewage sludge to energy, drying-gasification characteristics during microwave heating were studied. During the gasification of carbon dioxide, the main products were gas, followed by char, and tar in terms of the amount. The main components of the producer gas were carbon monoxide and hydrogen including a small amount of methane and light hydrocarbons. They showed a sufficient heating value as a fuel. The generated tar is gravimetric tar, which is total tar. As light tars, benzene (light aromatic tar) was a major light tar. Naphthalene, anthracene, and pyrene (light polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon tars) were also generated, but in relatively small amounts. Ammonia and hydrogen cyanide (precursor for NO_x) were generated from thermal decomposition of tar containing protein and nitrogen in sewage sludge. In the case of sludge char, its average pore diameter was small, but specific area, pore volume, and adsorption amounts were relatively large, resulting in superior adsorption characteristics.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.192-200
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• 2016

A characteristics of microwave drying-gasification was analyzed for converting a dewatered sewage sludge generated a wastewater treatment plant. Gas (60%) was the largest component of the product of microwave gasification, followed by sludge char (33%) and tar (2%). The main components of the producer gas were hydrogen (33%) and carbon monoxide (40%), and there was some methane and hydrocarbons ($C_2H_4$, $C_2H_6$, $C_3H_8$). Larger nitrogen and smaller oxygen amounts were generated. Gravimetric tar generated $414g/m^3$. This means a total tar which is a heavy hydrocarbons from the volatile organic substance in the sewage sludge. Selected light tars were benzene, anthracene, naphthalene, pyrene, showing lower concentrations as 2.62, 0.37, 0.49, $0.28g/m^3$, respectively. Sludge char has larger meso pores which is a mean pore size of $50.85{\AA}$ and has high adsorptivity. An amount of adsorption was $228.71cm^3/g$, showing higher quantity than acommercial adsorbers. This indicates that the gas obtained from the microwave gasification of wet sewage sludge can be used as fuel, but the heavy tar in the gas must be treated. Sludge char can be used as a tar reduction adsorbent in the process, and then burns as a solid fuel.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.81-91
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• 1999

Fuel characteristics of sewage sludge as required for the fluidized bed incinerators have been evaluated. Sewage sludge is basically a solid fuel with high percentage of moisture. Moisture content of the fuel directly affects the heating value of the fuel and the exhaust gas composition. When the sludge of transported into the incinerator, sludge cake is subject to the mixing, break-up and heat-up. Fluidization process would enhance these physical processes. The sludge fuel could then undergo the moisture evaporation and devolatilization process. Subsequent oxidation of volatiles as well as the remaining char would then follow. Sludge samples are characterized with high percentage of volatiles out of total combustibles. Quantitative understanding of above listed subprocesses would certainly help in the utilization of fluidized bed incinerators. A limited set of fuel characterization tests including calorimetric analysis, proximate analysis, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis were conducted for the selected sludge samples. The measurement reasults of sludge samples were reported along with some published data. Limited experience in the actual incinerator plant is also presented.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2017

The recent gradual increase in the energy demand is mostly met by fossil fuel, but the research on and development of new alternative energy sources is drawing much attention due to the limited fossil fuel supply and the greenhouse gas problem. This paper assesses the feasibility of producing fuel energy from a dewatered sewage sludge by microwave-induced pyrolysis with sludge char and graphite receptor. Both receptors produced gas, char, and tar in order from product amount. The gas produced for the sludge char receptor contained mainly hydrogen and methane with a small amount of light hydrocarbons. The graphite receptor generated higher gravimetric tar and generated higher light tar. Through the results, the product gas from the microwave processes of wet sewage sludge might be possible as a fuel energy. But the product gas has to be removed the condensable PAH tars.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.130-137
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• 2005

This research programme include investigation of the adsorption behavior of heavy metals and VOCs by Pyrolysis char for using landfill cover material. The volatile potions in the sludge gasified during the pyrolysis period and gave birth to porosity throughout the matrix. The result of the ad/desorption experiment of nitrogen to find out the formation of some pore by the gasification of the volatile matter, we can certify that the pyrolysis char($14.56\;m^2/g$) has increased twice more than the organic wasted sludge($6.68\;m^2/g$) in specific surface area. The pyrolysis char has the adsorption characteristic of medium type of Type II and V in BDDT classification, and showed a little micro pore. In the adsorption experiment of ethylbenzene and toluene, as a result of applying the Freundlich adsorption isotherms, the pyrolysis char was higher in the adsorptivity of ethylbenzene and toluene than the granite and the organic wasted sludge. The results of the heavy metal adsorption test for the char indicated that it had some ability of adsorption. It is suggest that pyrolysis char has some advantages for utilizing as landfill covers because the pyrolysis char can adsorb/absorb hazardous substances from the landfill sites and inhibit the ground water and soil contamination.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.308-311
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• 2011

The reaction mechanism of selective catalytic reduction of NOx over sewage sludge char impregnated with MnOx using $NH_3$ as the reducing agent was investigated. The active Mn phase was shown to be $Mn_3O_4$ from the XRD analysis. Adsorption was the dominant NOx removal mechanism at low temperatures below $150^{\circ}C$ although reduction reaction also contributed partly to the NOx removal at $100{\sim}150^{\circ}C$. The reaction rate constants of NOx removal over non-impregnated and MnOx-impregnated active chars were compared based on experimental results. The MnOx-impregnated char was shown to have a higher reaction rate constant and a higher NOx removal efficiency due to a higher collision coefficient and a lower activation energy. The activation energy for both chars was shown to be relatively low (10~12 kJ/mol) under the experimental conditions of this study.

• Clean Technology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2009

This study deals with the production process of activated carbons from the sewage sludge char by chemical activation reaction. KOH and NaOH were used as activating agents, which react well with carbon. From the experiments, it was found that activated carbons made with KOH treatment had better physicochemical properties in terms of iodine number and BET value than those made with NaOH treatment. It was also found that the optimal deposition ratio of an activating agent to the sewage sludge char was 75 wt% of KOH and 50 wt% of NaOH. Activated carbons were washed out by distilled water after neutralization with 5 M hydrochloric acid solution. The activated carbons that were produced from a sewage sludge char at this optimal conditions have BET surface areas of approximately $600m^2/g$.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.277-284
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• 2014

Biochar application to soil is widely known to have effects of climate change mitigation and soil quality improvement. However, effects of biochar on soil ecosystem are not always positive and some biochars are reported to contain toxic materials which might influence soil ecosystem. In this context, this study aims to investigate behavioral changes of earthworms(Eisenia fetida, Eisenia andrei) in response to different application rates of biochar to artificial soil. Treatment included two types of biochars made from rice husk (RH_Char) and wastewater sludge (SL_Char) with 1% and 10% application rates, respectively. Avoidance test revealed that earthworms did not avoid SL_Char treatments at 1% and 10%, while they rather moved to the RH_Char treatments probably due to higher labile carbon content(Hot water extractable carbon) of the RH_Char. The HWC content of RH_Char was 4 times higher than that of the SL_Char. Results of reproduction test showed that the survival rates, number of juveniles and number of cocoons were not influenced by biochar application except for the treatment of SL_Char at 10% rate. In the SL_Char 10% treatment, fatality was approximately 3.3 times as high as the control and the number of cocoons was 1.3 times higher in the same treatment than the control, indicating that earthworms were under environmental stress. The possible explanation for the stress condition was related to higher Cd, Ni, Cr, and As contents in the SL_Char. Overall results imply that biochar application at low rate might not change earthworms' behavior for the short term, while the reproduction behavior might be negatively influenced under the high application rate.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.746-751
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• 2006

In this study, drying and carbonization experiment was conducted in a fluidized bed reactor according to the variations in gas velocity, particle size, and reactor temperature. As a result, the weight loss rates of sludge by drying in the fixed bed and fluidized bed type dryer showed that drying in the fluidized bed was about 6 times faster than drying in the fixed bed, and the weight loss rates of sludge by carbonization in the fixed bed and fluidized bed type reactor showed that carbonization in the fluidized bed was about 4 times faster than drying in the fixed bed. This implies that carbonization in the fluidized bed was completed within 10 minutes. Although the amount of char decreased with the increase of carboniration temperature, the amount of char became similar at upper 873K. Also, the amount of char decreased with increasing gas velocity. Consequently, it could be efficient that slow fluidization should be maintained within the range of fluidization in case of fluidized carbonization of sewage sludge at 873K.