Problem: While biomass accounts for 73 percent of renewable energy production worldwide, crops grown for energy production burden land, water and fertilizer resources. Also, environmentally safe disposal of poultry excrement has become a significant problem.
Technology:
A new study shows that turkey excrement may have a future as a fuel for heat and electricity. Treated excrement from turkeys, chickens and other poultry, when converted to combustible solid biomass fuel, could replace approximately 10 percent of coal used in electricity generation, reducing greenhouse gases and providing an alternative energy source. Converting poultry waste to solid fuel, a less resource-intensive, renewable energy source is an environmentally superior alternative that also reduces reliance on fossil fuels.
The researchers have compared the production, combustion and gas emissions of biochar, which is produced by slow heating of the biomass at a temperature of 450°C (842°F) in an oxygen-free furnace with hydrochar. Hydrochar is produced by heating wet biomass to a much lower temperature of up to 250 °C under pressure using a process called hydrothermal carbonization (HTC).
The researchers found that poultry waste processed as hydrochar produced 24 percent higher net energy generation. Since poultry waste hydrochar generates heat at high temperatures and combusts in a similar manner to coal, it can replace it as a renewable energy source.
Researchers also showed that higher HTC production temperatures resulted in a significant reduction in emissions of methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) and an increase of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Thus, treated poultry waste could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity generation and agricultural wastes.
Stakeholders:
- Poultry farm owners
- Biomass handling agencies
- Biofuel consumers: companies, government agencies, individuals
Implementation:
- Further assessment with hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) reactor should be conducted to confirm the assessments from this laboratory-scale study
- Collaboration with poultry farm owners for collection of poultry waste and then treating it for generating renewable energy
Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171120085431.htm
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Comments on other blogs:
Interesting! This glass can also be used in automobiles too, especially for roof tops!
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