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New regulations aimed at curbing the problem of eutrophication introduce limitations for traditional ways to use the by-product of anaerobic digestion—the digestate. Hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) can be a viable way to valorise the digestate in an energy-efficient manner and at the same time maximise the synergy in terms of recovery of water, nutrients, followed by more efficient use of the remaining carbon. Additionally, hydrothermal treatment is a feasible way to recirculate recalcitrant process residues. Recirculation to anaerobic digestion enables recovery of a significant part of chemical energy lost in HTC by organics dissolved in the liquid effluent. Recirculating back to the HTC process can enhance nutrient recovery by making process water more acidic. However, such an effect of synergy can be exploited to its full extent only when viable separation techniques are applied to separate organic by-products of HTC and water. The results presented in this study show that using cascade membrane systems (microfiltration (MF) → ultrafiltration (UF) → nanofiltration (NF)), using polymeric membranes, can facilitate such separation. The best results were obtained by conducting sequential treatment of the liquid by-product of HTC in the following membrane sequence: MF 0.2 µm → UF PES 10 → NF NPO30P, which allowed reaching COD removal efficiency of almost 60%.
Agnieszka Urbanowska; Małgorzata Kabsch-Korbutowicz; Christian Aragon-Briceño; Mateusz Wnukowski; Artur Pożarlik; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Marcin Baranowski; Michał Czerep; Przemysław Seruga; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Eduard Bramer; Gerrit Brem. Cascade Membrane System for Separation of Water and Organics from Liquid By-Products of HTC of the Agricultural Digestate—Evaluation of Performance. Energies 2021, 14, 4752 .
AMA StyleAgnieszka Urbanowska, Małgorzata Kabsch-Korbutowicz, Christian Aragon-Briceño, Mateusz Wnukowski, Artur Pożarlik, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Marcin Baranowski, Michał Czerep, Przemysław Seruga, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek, Eduard Bramer, Gerrit Brem. Cascade Membrane System for Separation of Water and Organics from Liquid By-Products of HTC of the Agricultural Digestate—Evaluation of Performance. Energies. 2021; 14 (16):4752.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAgnieszka Urbanowska; Małgorzata Kabsch-Korbutowicz; Christian Aragon-Briceño; Mateusz Wnukowski; Artur Pożarlik; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Marcin Baranowski; Michał Czerep; Przemysław Seruga; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Eduard Bramer; Gerrit Brem. 2021. "Cascade Membrane System for Separation of Water and Organics from Liquid By-Products of HTC of the Agricultural Digestate—Evaluation of Performance." Energies 14, no. 16: 4752.
Plasma methods are given significant attention in the context of conditioning the producer gas derived from biomass gasification. The goal of this work is to present the impact of hydrogen on the other producer gas compounds during microwave plasma valorization. These compounds include main producer gas components (CO, CO2, CH4, N2) and minor impurities (tar compounds, H2S and NH3). The results prove a beneficial impact of hydrogen addition on the conversion of CH4 and toluene, increasing it from ca. 68%–95% and ca. 97%–100%, respectively. Additionally, the presence of hydrogen changes the distribution of the products, inhibiting soot and aromatics production and promoting C2 compounds. In the case of CO2, the conversion increases from ca. 18%–63% when compared to nitrogen plasma, with CO being the resulting product. The presence of hydrogen inhibits H2S conversion and does not affect CO and NH3
M. Wnukowski; P. Jamróz; L. Niedzwiecki. The role of hydrogen in microwave plasma valorization of producer gas. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleM. Wnukowski, P. Jamróz, L. Niedzwiecki. The role of hydrogen in microwave plasma valorization of producer gas. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Wnukowski; P. Jamróz; L. Niedzwiecki. 2021. "The role of hydrogen in microwave plasma valorization of producer gas." International Journal of Hydrogen Energy , no. : 1.
With increasing energy and resource consumption due to population growth, the biorefinery concept is becoming popular. This concept aims to harness all the properties of biomass by producing energy and recovering useful chemical products. Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus play a key role in the world’s food production because they are the main elements used in fertilizer production. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has been presented as a suitable option for energy recovery that can also be used as a pre-treatment for enhanced nutrient recovery. During the HTC process, part of the nitrogen and phosphorus are solubilized into the process water and the other part remains within the hydrochar. Hydrochars are mainly used as soil amendments due to their high content of phosphorus and nitrogen, but in this process, water still contains a considerable concentration of these compounds making it a potential source for their recovery. Therefore, HTC may boost the nutrient recovery strategy by extraction (process water) or densification (hydrochar) from biomass if it is coupled with another nutrient recovery process. This review presents an overview of the phosphorus and nitrogen fate during the HTC process from a perspective of nutrient recovery, presenting existing technologies and future trends.
C.I. Aragón-Briceño; A.K. Pozarlik; E.A. Bramer; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; H. Pawlak-Kruczek; G. Brem. Hydrothermal carbonization of wet biomass from nitrogen and phosphorus approach: A review. Renewable Energy 2021, 171, 401 -415.
AMA StyleC.I. Aragón-Briceño, A.K. Pozarlik, E.A. Bramer, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, H. Pawlak-Kruczek, G. Brem. Hydrothermal carbonization of wet biomass from nitrogen and phosphorus approach: A review. Renewable Energy. 2021; 171 ():401-415.
Chicago/Turabian StyleC.I. Aragón-Briceño; A.K. Pozarlik; E.A. Bramer; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; H. Pawlak-Kruczek; G. Brem. 2021. "Hydrothermal carbonization of wet biomass from nitrogen and phosphorus approach: A review." Renewable Energy 171, no. : 401-415.
The brewing sector is a significant part of the global food industry. Breweries produce large quantities of wastes, including wastewater and brewer’s spent grains. Currently, upcycling of food industry by-products is one of the principles of the circular economy. The aim of this review is to present possible ways to utilize common solid by-product from the brewing sector. Brewer’s spent grains (BSG) is a good material for sorption and processing into activated carbon. Another way to utilize spent grains is to use them as a fuel in raw form, after hydrothermal carbonization or as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion. The mentioned by-products may also be utilized in animal and human nutrition. Moreover, BSG is a waste rich in various substances that may be extracted for further utilization. It is likely that, in upcoming years, brewer’s spent grains will not be considered as a by-product, but as a desirable raw material for various branches of industry.
Mateusz Jackowski; Łukasz Niedźwiecki; Kacper Jagiełło; Oliwia Uchańska; Anna Trusek. Brewer’s Spent Grains—Valuable Beer Industry By-Product. Biomolecules 2020, 10, 1669 .
AMA StyleMateusz Jackowski, Łukasz Niedźwiecki, Kacper Jagiełło, Oliwia Uchańska, Anna Trusek. Brewer’s Spent Grains—Valuable Beer Industry By-Product. Biomolecules. 2020; 10 (12):1669.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMateusz Jackowski; Łukasz Niedźwiecki; Kacper Jagiełło; Oliwia Uchańska; Anna Trusek. 2020. "Brewer’s Spent Grains—Valuable Beer Industry By-Product." Biomolecules 10, no. 12: 1669.
Due to the increasing installed power of the intermittent renewable energy sources in the European Union, increasing the operation flexibility of the generating units in the system is necessary. This is particularly important for systems with relatively large installed power of wind and solar. Plasma technologies can be used for that purpose. Nonetheless, the wide implementation of such technology should be economically justified. This paper shows that the use of plasma systems for increasing the flexibility of power units can be economically feasible, based on the results of a net present value analysis. The cost of the installation itself had a marginal effect on the results of the net present value analysis. Based on the performed analysis, the ability to lower the technical minimum of the power unit and the relationship between such a technical minimum and the installed power of a plasma system can be considered decisive factors influencing the economics of the investment for such an installation. Further research on better means of prediction of the minimum attainable load, which would allow determining the influence of implementation of a plasma system, is recommended. This will be the decisive factor behind future decisions regarding investing in such systems.
Tadeusz Mączka; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Edward Ziaja; Artur Chorążyczewski. Plasma Assisted Combustion as a Cost-Effective Way for Balancing of Intermittent Sources: Techno-Economic Assessment for 200 MWel Power Unit. Energies 2020, 13, 5056 .
AMA StyleTadeusz Mączka, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Edward Ziaja, Artur Chorążyczewski. Plasma Assisted Combustion as a Cost-Effective Way for Balancing of Intermittent Sources: Techno-Economic Assessment for 200 MWel Power Unit. Energies. 2020; 13 (19):5056.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTadeusz Mączka; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Edward Ziaja; Artur Chorążyczewski. 2020. "Plasma Assisted Combustion as a Cost-Effective Way for Balancing of Intermittent Sources: Techno-Economic Assessment for 200 MWel Power Unit." Energies 13, no. 19: 5056.
Torrefaction and slow pyrolysis are processes that can be used for improving the fuel properties of low-quality biomass, which could be effectively used for improving fuel logistics and making biomass a fully tradeable commodity. Automation of these processes could prove vital for their economic viability and carbon footprint, giving the possibility to reduce manpower requirement and raining time for operators. Automation based on online control of the quality of biocoal is not possible. However, finding a suitable marker in torgas could make automation possible. Results presented in the study show that formaldehyde can be considered as a viable marker. Obtained results are limited to torrefaction and slow pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass at a maximum reactor temperature of 430 °C. Temperature measurements show that endothermal evaporation of the bound moisture delays the time necessary to reach the point where exothermal reactions start taking a leading role in the thermal decomposition process, which is extremely important in the context of thermal run-away of such installation. Artificial neural network proved to be an effective tool for determining of correlation between the heating value of pyrolysis gas and its concentration of formaldehyde. This could be used in advanced control solutions for pyrolysis gas combustion systems.
Krystian Krochmalny; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Ewa Pelińska-Olko; Mateusz Wnukowski; Krzysztof Czajka; Monika Tkaczuk-Serafin; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek. Determination of the marker for automation of torrefaction and slow pyrolysis processes – A case study of spherical wood particles. Renewable Energy 2020, 161, 350 -360.
AMA StyleKrystian Krochmalny, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Ewa Pelińska-Olko, Mateusz Wnukowski, Krzysztof Czajka, Monika Tkaczuk-Serafin, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek. Determination of the marker for automation of torrefaction and slow pyrolysis processes – A case study of spherical wood particles. Renewable Energy. 2020; 161 ():350-360.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKrystian Krochmalny; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Ewa Pelińska-Olko; Mateusz Wnukowski; Krzysztof Czajka; Monika Tkaczuk-Serafin; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek. 2020. "Determination of the marker for automation of torrefaction and slow pyrolysis processes – A case study of spherical wood particles." Renewable Energy 161, no. : 350-360.
The replacement of fossil fuel with renewable energy sources seems as though it will be crucial in the future. On the other hand, waste generation increases year by year. Thus, waste-to-energy technologies fit in with the actual trends, such as the circular economy. The crucial type of generated waste is municipal solid waste, which is in the research area. Regarding the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), anaerobic digestion (AD) allows the recovery of biogas and energy. Furthermore, if it is supported by source segregation, it should allow the recovery of material as fertilizer. The AD process performance (biogas yield and stability) comparison of source-segregated OFMSW (ss-OFMWS) and mechanically sorted OFMSW (ms-OFMSW) as feedstocks was performed in full-scale conditions. The daily biogas volume and methane content were measured to assess AD efficiency. To verify the process stability, the volatile fatty acid (VFA) content, pH value, acidity, alkalinity, and dry matter were determined. The obtained biogas yield per ton was slightly higher in the case of ss-OFMSW (111.1 m3/ton), compared to ms-OFMSW (105.3 m3/ton), together with a higher methane concentration: 58–60% and 51–53%, respectively, and followed by a higher electricity production capacity of almost 700 MWh for ss-OFMSW digestion. The obtained VFA concentrations, at levels around 1.1 g/kg, pH values (slightly above 8.0), acidity, and alkalinity indicate the possibilities of the digester feeding and no-risk exploitation of either as feedstock.
Przemysław Seruga; Małgorzata Krzywonos; Anna Seruga; Łukasz Niedźwiecki; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Agnieszka Urbanowska. Anaerobic Digestion Performance: Separate Collected vs. Mechanical Segregated Organic Fractions of Municipal Solid Waste as Feedstock. Energies 2020, 13, 3768 .
AMA StylePrzemysław Seruga, Małgorzata Krzywonos, Anna Seruga, Łukasz Niedźwiecki, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek, Agnieszka Urbanowska. Anaerobic Digestion Performance: Separate Collected vs. Mechanical Segregated Organic Fractions of Municipal Solid Waste as Feedstock. Energies. 2020; 13 (15):3768.
Chicago/Turabian StylePrzemysław Seruga; Małgorzata Krzywonos; Anna Seruga; Łukasz Niedźwiecki; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Agnieszka Urbanowska. 2020. "Anaerobic Digestion Performance: Separate Collected vs. Mechanical Segregated Organic Fractions of Municipal Solid Waste as Feedstock." Energies 13, no. 15: 3768.
Gasification of biomass in fixed bed gasifiers is a well-known technology, with its origins dating back to the beginning of 20th century. It is a technology with good prospects, in terms of small scale, decentralized power co-generation. However, the understanding of the process is still not fully developed. Therefore, assessment of the changes in the design of a gasifier is typically performed with extensive prototyping stage, thus introducing significant cost. This study presents experimental results of gasification of a single pellet and bed of particles of raw and torrefied wood. The procedure can be used for obtaining design parameters of a fixed bed gasifier. Results of two suits of experiments, namely pyrolysis and CO2 gasification are presented. Moreover, results of pyrolysis of pellets are compared against a numerical model, developed for thermally thick particles. Pyrolysis time, predicted by model, was in good agreement with experimental results, despite some differences in the time when half of the initial mass was converted. Conversion times for CO2 gasification were much longer, despite higher temperature of the process, indicating importance of the reduction reactions. Overall, the obtained results could be helpful in developing a complete model of gasification of thermally thick particles in a fixed bed.
Hao Luo; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Amit Arora; Krzysztof Mościcki; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Krystian Krochmalny; Marcin Baranowski; Mayank Tiwari; Anshul Sharma; Tanuj Sharma; Zhimin Lu. Influence of Torrefaction and Pelletizing of Sawdust on the Design Parameters of a Fixed Bed Gasifier. Energies 2020, 13, 3018 .
AMA StyleHao Luo, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Amit Arora, Krzysztof Mościcki, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek, Krystian Krochmalny, Marcin Baranowski, Mayank Tiwari, Anshul Sharma, Tanuj Sharma, Zhimin Lu. Influence of Torrefaction and Pelletizing of Sawdust on the Design Parameters of a Fixed Bed Gasifier. Energies. 2020; 13 (11):3018.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHao Luo; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Amit Arora; Krzysztof Mościcki; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Krystian Krochmalny; Marcin Baranowski; Mayank Tiwari; Anshul Sharma; Tanuj Sharma; Zhimin Lu. 2020. "Influence of Torrefaction and Pelletizing of Sawdust on the Design Parameters of a Fixed Bed Gasifier." Energies 13, no. 11: 3018.
Gasification is a process that converts solid fuel to gas, which could allow the broader implementation of biomass for small and commercial scale electricity generation. However, such units would, in many cases, have to work within one system with intermittent energy sources, thus having to cope with new requirements regarding flexibility. Tars are unwanted by-products of gasification, and their presence introduces additional operation and maintenance problems. The requirement for the low load operation could potentially exacerbate these problems. The aim of this work is the characterization of the tars from a novel, pilot scale, biomass gasifier, developed by the Energy Research Center of the Technical University of Ostrava, during the low load operation. The amount of GC detectable compounds, excluding benzene, reached approximately 6.2 g/m3 when working at the equivalence ratio of 0.06. Additionally, tar deposits from the gas cooler were analysed, showing that not all compounds classified as tars have a similar impact on the deposition. Recently developed concept of a tar deposition diagram was implemented, to account for a different propensity towards the formation of such deposits. The concept seems to be advantageous, in comparison to grouping the tars according to existing classification, based on the chemical structure.
Jakub Čespiva; Mateusz Wnukowski; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Jan Skřínský; Ján Vereš; Tadeáš Ochodek; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Karel Borovec. Characterization of tars from a novel, pilot scale, biomass gasifier working under low equivalence ratio regime. Renewable Energy 2020, 159, 775 -785.
AMA StyleJakub Čespiva, Mateusz Wnukowski, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Jan Skřínský, Ján Vereš, Tadeáš Ochodek, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek, Karel Borovec. Characterization of tars from a novel, pilot scale, biomass gasifier working under low equivalence ratio regime. Renewable Energy. 2020; 159 ():775-785.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJakub Čespiva; Mateusz Wnukowski; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Jan Skřínský; Ján Vereš; Tadeáš Ochodek; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Karel Borovec. 2020. "Characterization of tars from a novel, pilot scale, biomass gasifier working under low equivalence ratio regime." Renewable Energy 159, no. : 775-785.
Digestate is a nutrient-rich substance produced by anaerobic digestion, it contains organic and inorganic compounds as well as micro-organisms. The European Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) gives the regulations concerning the wider implementation of digestate. Due to a significant amount of organic matter in the digestate, it can be utilized as a solid biofuel, a soil amendment or a substrate for activated carbon production. HTC is a pretreatment process which can change digestate into potentially more hydrophobic product with higher energy potential. In this study, two kinds of digestate were examined as a potential feedstock for preparing hydrochar applied as a porous material and a solid biofuel. First digestate sample was a clean digestate from a typical biogas plant, performing anaerobic digestion of typical agricultural residues (cow dung). The second one was a digestate from wet fraction of municipal solid waste, after separation at the MSW sorting plant. HTC was performed in the autoclave, at 200 °C process temperature, 4.5 h residence time, under the saturation pressure of water. The proximate and ultimate analysis of hydrochars, along with porosimetry and morphology structure were examined. Additionally, the thermal behaviour under pyrolysis and combustion was analysed using TGA. HTC resulted in increased carbon contents for both types of digestate. Results of DSC and TGA analysis suggests improved ignition due to HTC. HTC increased total pore volume in both of the cases. The change was most visible in the macropore range.
Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Małgorzata Sieradzka; Agata Mlonka-Mędrala; Marcin Baranowski; Monika Serafin-Tkaczuk; Aneta Magdziarz. Hydrothermal carbonization of agricultural and municipal solid waste digestates – Structure and energetic properties of the solid products. Fuel 2020, 275, 117837 .
AMA StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Małgorzata Sieradzka, Agata Mlonka-Mędrala, Marcin Baranowski, Monika Serafin-Tkaczuk, Aneta Magdziarz. Hydrothermal carbonization of agricultural and municipal solid waste digestates – Structure and energetic properties of the solid products. Fuel. 2020; 275 ():117837.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Małgorzata Sieradzka; Agata Mlonka-Mędrala; Marcin Baranowski; Monika Serafin-Tkaczuk; Aneta Magdziarz. 2020. "Hydrothermal carbonization of agricultural and municipal solid waste digestates – Structure and energetic properties of the solid products." Fuel 275, no. : 117837.
Steady consumption of beer results in a steady output of residues, i.e., brewer’s spent grain (BSG). Its valorization, using hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) seems sensible. However, a significant knowledge gap regarding the variability of this residue and its influence on the valorization process and its potential use in biorefineries exists. This study attempted to fill this gap by characterization of BSG in conjunction with the main product (beer), taking into accounts details of the brewing process. Moreover, different methods to assess the performance of HTC were investigated. Overall, the differences in terms of the fuel properties of both types of spent grain were much less stark, in comparison to the differences between the respective beers. The use of HTC as a pretreatment of BSG for subsequent use as a biorefinery feedstock can be considered beneficial. HTC was helpful in uniformization and improvement of the fuel properties. A significant decrease in the oxygen content and O/C ratio and improved grindability was achieved. The Weber method proved to be feasible for HTC productivity assessment for commercial installations, giving satisfactory results for most of the cases, contrary to traditional ash tracer method, which resulted in significant overestimations of the mass yield.
Mateusz Jackowski; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Magdalena Lech; Mateusz Wnukowski; Amit Arora; Monika Tkaczuk-Serafin; Marcin Baranowski; Krystian Krochmalny; Vivek K. Veetil; Przemysław Seruga; Anna Trusek; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek. HTC of Wet Residues of the Brewing Process: Comprehensive Characterization of Produced Beer, Spent Grain and Valorized Residues. Energies 2020, 13, 2058 .
AMA StyleMateusz Jackowski, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Magdalena Lech, Mateusz Wnukowski, Amit Arora, Monika Tkaczuk-Serafin, Marcin Baranowski, Krystian Krochmalny, Vivek K. Veetil, Przemysław Seruga, Anna Trusek, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek. HTC of Wet Residues of the Brewing Process: Comprehensive Characterization of Produced Beer, Spent Grain and Valorized Residues. Energies. 2020; 13 (8):2058.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMateusz Jackowski; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Magdalena Lech; Mateusz Wnukowski; Amit Arora; Monika Tkaczuk-Serafin; Marcin Baranowski; Krystian Krochmalny; Vivek K. Veetil; Przemysław Seruga; Anna Trusek; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek. 2020. "HTC of Wet Residues of the Brewing Process: Comprehensive Characterization of Produced Beer, Spent Grain and Valorized Residues." Energies 13, no. 8: 2058.
Utilization of sewage sludge, in a way friendly to the environment, is still a subject of intensive investigation. One of the possible solutions is the gasification of sewage sludge. Torrefaction and the use of additive can enhance this process. This study presents the results of the gasification of raw and mildly torrefied sewage sludge, as well as mildly torrefied sewage sludge with the addition of calcium carbonate. Overall, the torrefaction in mild conditions had little influence on the composition of the obtained gas. The influence was much more visible when 5% of calcium carbonate was added. The additive caused the increased average concentration of CH4 and decreased average concentration of H2 in the producer gas. The use of additive also improved the kinetics of the gasification of torrefied sewage sludge. Moreover, the tar deposition diagram confirmed that the use of calcium carbonate enhanced the quality of the produced gas by decreasing the content of the compounds, with a melting point higher than 30 °C, thus minimizing the deposition problem.
Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Mateusz Wnukowski; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Mateusz Kowal; Krystian Krochmalny. Gasification of Torrefied Sewage Sludge With the Addition of Calcium Carbonate. Journal of Energy Resources Technology 2020, 142, 1 -30.
AMA StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek, Mateusz Wnukowski, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Mateusz Kowal, Krystian Krochmalny. Gasification of Torrefied Sewage Sludge With the Addition of Calcium Carbonate. Journal of Energy Resources Technology. 2020; 142 (7):1-30.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek; Mateusz Wnukowski; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Mateusz Kowal; Krystian Krochmalny. 2020. "Gasification of Torrefied Sewage Sludge With the Addition of Calcium Carbonate." Journal of Energy Resources Technology 142, no. 7: 1-30.
Currently, the reclamation and reuse of water have not reached their full potential, although more energy is needed to obtain and transport freshwater and this solution has a more serious environmental impact. Agricultural irrigation is, by far, the largest application of reclaimed water worldwide, so the proposed concept may result in the production of water that can be used, among others, for crop irrigation. This paper describes a novel installation for the recovery of the agricultural water from the digestate, along with the results of initial experiments. Currently, water is wasted, due to evaporation, in anaerobic digestion plants, as the effluent from dewatering of the digestate is discharged into lagoons. Moreover, water that stays within the interstitial space of the digestate is lost in a similar fashion. With increasing scarcity of water in rural areas, such waste should not be neglected. The study indicates that hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) enhances mechanical dewatering of the agricultural digestate and approximately 900 L of water can be recovered from one ton. Dewatered hydrochars had a lower heating value of almost 10 MJ/kg, indicating the possibility of using it as a fuel for the process. The aim of this Design Innovation Paper is to outline the newly developed concept of an installation that could enable recovery of water from, so far, the neglected resource—i.e., digestate from anaerobic digestion plants.
Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Agnieszka Urbanowska; Weihong Yang; Gerrit Brem; Aneta Magdziarz; Przemyslaw Seruga; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Artur Pozarlik; Agata Mlonka-Mędrala; Małgorzata Kabsch-Korbutowicz; Eduard A. Bramer; Marcin Baranowski; Małgorzata Sieradzka; Monika Tkaczuk-Serafin. Industrial Process Description for the Recovery of Agricultural Water From Digestate. Journal of Energy Resources Technology 2020, 142, 1 -33.
AMA StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek, Agnieszka Urbanowska, Weihong Yang, Gerrit Brem, Aneta Magdziarz, Przemyslaw Seruga, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Artur Pozarlik, Agata Mlonka-Mędrala, Małgorzata Kabsch-Korbutowicz, Eduard A. Bramer, Marcin Baranowski, Małgorzata Sieradzka, Monika Tkaczuk-Serafin. Industrial Process Description for the Recovery of Agricultural Water From Digestate. Journal of Energy Resources Technology. 2020; 142 (7):1-33.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek; Agnieszka Urbanowska; Weihong Yang; Gerrit Brem; Aneta Magdziarz; Przemyslaw Seruga; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Artur Pozarlik; Agata Mlonka-Mędrala; Małgorzata Kabsch-Korbutowicz; Eduard A. Bramer; Marcin Baranowski; Małgorzata Sieradzka; Monika Tkaczuk-Serafin. 2020. "Industrial Process Description for the Recovery of Agricultural Water From Digestate." Journal of Energy Resources Technology 142, no. 7: 1-33.
Torrefied biomass is said to have potential as a replacement for coal. One of the main goals of torrefaction is to make biomass resemble coal more in terms of its properties as a solid fuel. As a fuel, a novel fuel that is produced by thermal treatment of raw biomass, biocoal has to comply with the regulations of solid fuels from different regulatory bodies. The production regime is different in comparison to the thermally treated fuel already established on the market, such as charcoal. This might raise an issue with the bodies controlling the circulation of chemical substances in the market, such as ECHA in Europe. The aim of this paper is to recommend suitable analytical techniques in order to enable effective quality control. This is necessary if biomass of low and highly variable quality is supposed to become more uniform and turn into a commodity. Information given in many published studies seems sufficient to use of FTIR and NIR as quality control techniques. The use of NMR can be complementary but is limited due to the high cost of the analytical equipment and time-consuming sample preparation. Rapid testing techniques, such as FTIR ATR or NIR, might prove feasible for quality control of solid biofuels, such as biocoal, especially for in-house quality control purposes. This way proper quality assurance and compliance with various novel regulations, such as REACH, could be assured. Further research could be helpful, especially if results would be available in publicly available databases, such as Phyllis.
Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Amit Arora; Ashish Gupta; Muhammad Azam Saeed; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Gordon Andrews; Herodotos Phylaktou; Bernard Gibbs; Anna Newlaczyl; Penelope M. Livesey. Biocoal - Quality control and assurance. Biomass and Bioenergy 2020, 135, 105509 .
AMA StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek, Amit Arora, Ashish Gupta, Muhammad Azam Saeed, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Gordon Andrews, Herodotos Phylaktou, Bernard Gibbs, Anna Newlaczyl, Penelope M. Livesey. Biocoal - Quality control and assurance. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2020; 135 ():105509.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek; Amit Arora; Ashish Gupta; Muhammad Azam Saeed; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Gordon Andrews; Herodotos Phylaktou; Bernard Gibbs; Anna Newlaczyl; Penelope M. Livesey. 2020. "Biocoal - Quality control and assurance." Biomass and Bioenergy 135, no. : 105509.
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a commonly used method of processing waste. Regardless of the type of the used digestate (fertilizer, feedstock in case of solid-state fermentation, raw-material in case of thermal treatment) effective pathogen risk elimination, even in the case of high pathogen concentration is essential. An investigation of the survival time and inactivation rate of the Salmonella Senftenberg W775, Enterococcus spp., and Ascaris suum eggs during thermophilic anaerobic digestion performed on laboratory scale and confirmation of hygienization in full-scale operation were performed in this study. Except for sanitization efficiency, the AD process performance and stability were also verified based on determination of pH value, dry matter content, acidity, alkalinity, and content of fatty acids. The elimination of pathogen was met within 6.06 h, 5.5 h, and about 10 h for the Salmonella Senftenberg W775, Enterococcus spp., and Ascaris suum, respectively in the laboratory trials. The obtained results were confirmed in full-scale tests, using 1500 m3 Kompogas® reactors, operating in MBT Plant located in Poland. Sanitization of the digestate was achieved. Furthermore, the process was stable. The pH value, suspended solids, and ammonium content remained stable at 8.5, 35%, and 3.8 g/kg, respectively. The acetic acid content was noted between almost 0.8 and over 1.1 g/kg, while the concentration of propionic acid was noted at maximum level of about 100 mg/kg. The AD conditions could positively affect the pathogen elimination. Based on these results it can be found that anaerobic digestion under thermophilic conditions results in high sanitation efficiency.
Przemysław Seruga; Małgorzata Krzywonos; Zbigniew Paluszak; Agnieszka Urbanowska; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Łukasz Niedźwiecki; Hanna Pińkowska. Pathogen Reduction Potential in Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste and Food Waste. Molecules 2020, 25, 275 .
AMA StylePrzemysław Seruga, Małgorzata Krzywonos, Zbigniew Paluszak, Agnieszka Urbanowska, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek, Łukasz Niedźwiecki, Hanna Pińkowska. Pathogen Reduction Potential in Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste and Food Waste. Molecules. 2020; 25 (2):275.
Chicago/Turabian StylePrzemysław Seruga; Małgorzata Krzywonos; Zbigniew Paluszak; Agnieszka Urbanowska; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Łukasz Niedźwiecki; Hanna Pińkowska. 2020. "Pathogen Reduction Potential in Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste and Food Waste." Molecules 25, no. 2: 275.
Agriculture affects both the quantity and the quality of water available for other purposes, which becomes problematic, especially during increasingly frequent severe droughts. This requires tapping into the resources that are typically neglected. One such resource is a by-product of anaerobic digestion, in which moisture content typically exceeds 90%. Application of hydrothermal carbonization process (HTC) to this residue could partially remove organic and inorganic material, improve dewatering, decrease the overall solid mass, sanitize the digestate, change its properties, and eliminate problems related with emissions of odors from the installation. However, a significant gap still exists in terms of the dewatering of the hydrochars and the composition of the effluents. This work presents results of experimental investigation focused on the removal of organic compounds from the HTC effluent. Results of qualitative and quantitative analysis of liquid by-products of HTC of the agricultural digestate showed that acetic acid, 3-pyridinol, 1-hydroxyacetone, and 1,3-propanediol were the main liquid organic products of the process. Application of ultrafiltration process with the use of 10 kDa membrane for liquid HTC by-product treatment allows for the reduction of chemical oxygen demand up to 30%, biological oxygen demand up to 10%, and dissolved organic carbon up to 21%.
Agnieszka Urbanowska; Małgorzata Kabsch-Korbutowicz; Mateusz Wnukowski; Przemysław Seruga; Marcin Baranowski; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Monika Serafin-Tkaczuk; Krystian Krochmalny; Lukasz Niedzwiecki. Treatment of Liquid By-Products of Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) of Agricultural Digestate Using Membrane Separation. Energies 2020, 13, 262 .
AMA StyleAgnieszka Urbanowska, Małgorzata Kabsch-Korbutowicz, Mateusz Wnukowski, Przemysław Seruga, Marcin Baranowski, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek, Monika Serafin-Tkaczuk, Krystian Krochmalny, Lukasz Niedzwiecki. Treatment of Liquid By-Products of Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) of Agricultural Digestate Using Membrane Separation. Energies. 2020; 13 (1):262.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAgnieszka Urbanowska; Małgorzata Kabsch-Korbutowicz; Mateusz Wnukowski; Przemysław Seruga; Marcin Baranowski; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Monika Serafin-Tkaczuk; Krystian Krochmalny; Lukasz Niedzwiecki. 2020. "Treatment of Liquid By-Products of Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) of Agricultural Digestate Using Membrane Separation." Energies 13, no. 1: 262.
This paper presents complete mass and energy balance of a novel installation for thermal utilization of the sewage sludge. Calculations were performed for the typical output of a wastewater processing plant in a middle size Polish town. Overall, the proposed configuration seems to be advantageous, as the proposed installation is fully sustainable and does not need external energy sources, due to maximized heat recovery from many different sources. Optimization of the heat use is performed, by utilizing all the available heat sources, including low-quality heat, such as the latent heat of water vapors, present in wet air after drying. Despite using plasma gasification system, the installation is able to generate surplus electricity, which can be used as a power source for all of the auxiliary devices, such as fans, augers and PLC systems. The proposed system can be implemented in the water treatment plants, in towns with the total amount of inhabitants ranging from a couple of thousand up to 40 thousand. System does not require anaerobic digestion of the sewage sludge. Nonetheless, the use of anaerobic digestion brings some advantages as the producer gas from the gasification installation can be mixed with biogas.
Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Michał Czerep; Michał Ostrycharczyk; Mateusz Wnukowski; Marcin Baranowski; Krystian Krochmalny; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Mateusz Kowal. Sustainable utilization of the sewage sludge using combined drying, torrefaction and plasma gasification technologies. Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2019, 1398, 012018 .
AMA StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek, Michał Czerep, Michał Ostrycharczyk, Mateusz Wnukowski, Marcin Baranowski, Krystian Krochmalny, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Mateusz Kowal. Sustainable utilization of the sewage sludge using combined drying, torrefaction and plasma gasification technologies. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 2019; 1398 (1):012018.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek; Michał Czerep; Michał Ostrycharczyk; Mateusz Wnukowski; Marcin Baranowski; Krystian Krochmalny; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Mateusz Kowal. 2019. "Sustainable utilization of the sewage sludge using combined drying, torrefaction and plasma gasification technologies." Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1398, no. 1: 012018.
This paper presents experimental results obtained during combustion of raw and torrefied PKS in a domestic scale boiler. The aim of the performed investigation was to assess if raw and torrefied PKS, without grinding and pelletizing, could be used in a domestic boiler, originally designed for coal. Introduction section of this paper presents a mini-review of the research performed so far on the torrefaction of Palm Kernel Shells (PKS) as well as on the combustion of torrefied biomass in small (mostly domestic) scale boilers. Section dedicated to materials and methods describes both the rig, where PKS was torrefied, as well as the domestic scale boiler used for combustion tests. Results presented in the paper consist of the operational parameters of the boiler and emissions, measured during combustion tests of both raw and torrefied PKS. Some operational issues, such as sintering and fouling of the heating surfaces of the boiler are highlighted. The extent of fouling was significantly smaller for the case of combustion of torrefied PKS, which should be a subject of a further investigation.
Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Amit Arora; Krzysztof Mościcki; Krystian Krochmalny; Shalvin Sharma; Lukasz Niedzwiecki. A transition of a domestic boiler from coal to biomass – Emissions from combustion of raw and torrefied Palm Kernel shells (PKS). Fuel 2019, 263, 116718 .
AMA StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek, Amit Arora, Krzysztof Mościcki, Krystian Krochmalny, Shalvin Sharma, Lukasz Niedzwiecki. A transition of a domestic boiler from coal to biomass – Emissions from combustion of raw and torrefied Palm Kernel shells (PKS). Fuel. 2019; 263 ():116718.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek; Amit Arora; Krzysztof Mościcki; Krystian Krochmalny; Shalvin Sharma; Lukasz Niedzwiecki. 2019. "A transition of a domestic boiler from coal to biomass – Emissions from combustion of raw and torrefied Palm Kernel shells (PKS)." Fuel 263, no. : 116718.
Due to various ecological problems, it is required to remove the ammonia nitrogen from wastewater. Industrial wastewater that was not subjected to any purification was used in this study, while most processes described in the literature were carried out using synthetically prepared solutions. The study investigated the removal of ammonium ions using ion exchange on various commercial minerals, in 3 h long batch ion-exchange experiments. Furthermore, research on the sodium chloride activation of the selected mineral was conducted. The screening of the mineral with the highest removal potential was conducted taking into account the adsorption capacity (q) and maximal removal efficiency (E), based on the NH4+ ions changes determined using the selective electrode and spectrophotometric cuvette tests. The highest adsorption capacity (q = 4.92 mg/g) of ammonium ions with the maximum removal efficiency (52.3%) was obtained for bentonite, with a 0–0.05 mm particle size. After pretreatment with a 1 mol/L NaCl solution, maximum efficiency increments were observed (55.7%). The Langmuir adsorption isotherm corresponds well with the equilibrium adsorption data (R2 from 0.97 to 0.98), while the Freundlich model was found to be mismatched (R2 = 0.77). Based on these results it was concluded that natural sorbents may be effectively applied in wastewater treatment. It can be observed that as the size of sorbent particles gets lower, the adsorption capacity, as well as the removal efficiency, gets higher. The bentonite pretreatment with the NaCl solution did not result in the expected efficiency improvement. The 2 mol/L solution affected about 3.5% of the removal efficiency yield.
Przemysław Seruga; Małgorzata Krzywonos; Justyna Pyżanowska; Agnieszka Urbanowska; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Łukasz Niedźwiecki. Removal of Ammonia from the Municipal Waste Treatment Effluents using Natural Minerals. Molecules 2019, 24, 3633 .
AMA StylePrzemysław Seruga, Małgorzata Krzywonos, Justyna Pyżanowska, Agnieszka Urbanowska, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek, Łukasz Niedźwiecki. Removal of Ammonia from the Municipal Waste Treatment Effluents using Natural Minerals. Molecules. 2019; 24 (20):3633.
Chicago/Turabian StylePrzemysław Seruga; Małgorzata Krzywonos; Justyna Pyżanowska; Agnieszka Urbanowska; Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Łukasz Niedźwiecki. 2019. "Removal of Ammonia from the Municipal Waste Treatment Effluents using Natural Minerals." Molecules 24, no. 20: 3633.
Present increase in the flexibility of coal power plants is a very important and complicated task. The paper discusses the problem of improving the flexibility and efficiency of the power unit on the example of a brown coal-fired unit including the option of low-temperature pre-drying of lignite. Drying technologies using low-temperature heat sources are analysed. Depending on the coal drying method, an up to 5% increase in power unit efficiency can be achieved. The possible actual increase in the efficiency of a specific power unit will result from the individual features and local conditions of the particular power plant. However, for hybrid systems with thermal energy accumulation system, the increase in efficiency depends on the selection of the energy charging system, type of accumulation system and working temperature range. In the authors’ opinion, the implementation of a drying technology for the needs of co-firing in power units should be based on rather the utilization of the internal heat sources of the given power unit with the possible additional use of “waste” or renewable energy sources. The proposed solutions are evaluated from the technical point of view and the expected increase in power unit efficiency is determined.
Halina Pawlak-Kruczek; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Michał Ostrycharczyk; Michał Czerep; Zbigniew Plutecki. Potential and methods for increasing the flexibility and efficiency of the lignite fired power unit, using integrated lignite drying. Energy 2019, 181, 1142 -1151.
AMA StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek, Lukasz Niedzwiecki, Michał Ostrycharczyk, Michał Czerep, Zbigniew Plutecki. Potential and methods for increasing the flexibility and efficiency of the lignite fired power unit, using integrated lignite drying. Energy. 2019; 181 ():1142-1151.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHalina Pawlak-Kruczek; Lukasz Niedzwiecki; Michał Ostrycharczyk; Michał Czerep; Zbigniew Plutecki. 2019. "Potential and methods for increasing the flexibility and efficiency of the lignite fired power unit, using integrated lignite drying." Energy 181, no. : 1142-1151.