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Entrained flow gasification of sewage sludge digestate: Experimental and simulation study

Abstract

This work explores the entrained flow gasification of sewage sludge digestate (SSD) and its mixtures with wood powder (WP) through experimental and modeling approaches. Key parameters including reactor temperature, pressure, steam-to-biomass ratio (S/B), and air excess ratio (λ) were investigated to assess their impact on gasification performance. Results showed that blending SSD with WP significantly improved gasification efficiency, leading to higher hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) yields. Complete carbon conversion was achieved at temperatures above 1100 °C with a 50/50 SSD/WP mixture, highlighting the effectiveness of WP addition. Cold gas efficiency (CGE) exceeded 100 % for mixed feedstocks at optimal conditions, demonstrating improved syngas quality. SEM-EDS analysis indicated better properties and nutrient retention potential of residues derived from gasification of blended feedstocks. Computational Particle Fluid Dynamics (CPFD) simulations, validated against experimental data, provided deeper insights into gasification, confirming enhanced syngas production and reactor performance with SSD/WP mixtures. These findings underline the potential of SSD and WP co-gasification for sustainable waste management and energy recovery.

Category

Academic article

Client

  • Research Council of Norway (RCN) / 257622
  • Research Council of Norway (RCN) / 319723
  • Research Council of Norway (RCN) / 328715

Language

English

Author(s)

Affiliation

  • University of South-Eastern Norway
  • SINTEF Energy Research / Termisk energi

Year

2025

Published in

Chemical Engineering Science (CES)

ISSN

0009-2509

Publisher

Elsevier

Volume

308

View this publication at Cristin