Pyrolysis of livestock manures: Optimal operating conditions and feedstock blending ratios

Prakash Parthasarathy, Mohammad Alherbawi, Snigdhendubala Pradhan, Gordon McKay, Tareq Al-Ansari

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Livestock manure contributes to around 18% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while the mishandling of manure further pollutes water and soil. As such, the valorisation of these wastes becomes vital for the mitigation of global warming impact. In this context, anaerobic digestion (AD) is commonly used to generate biogas and digestate from manure; however, pyrolysis has recently emerged as a viable alternative to AD for producing cleaner products in much shorter processing times. Therefore, this study investigates the pyrolysis of four types of livestock manures including poultry (PM), dairy (DM), camel (CM) and sheep manure (SM). The air-dried manure samples are characterised with reference to literature reported data, while the process is simulated using existing empirical prediction models. In addition, the process performance in terms of economic feasibility and environmental impact is evaluated from cradle to gate for different manure feedstocks. A mathematical optimisation model is then developed to evaluate optimal blending of manure for the commercial production of bio-oil, considering different operating conditions, manure compositions and availability in the State of Qatar. The model is solved to fulfill seven different objectives independently. The results revealed that PM is linked to the highest amount of bio-oil (41%) at 600°C, while the lowest yield is associated to CM. Finally, the optimal manure blending ratio for highest bio-oil yield and lowest cost is achieved at 52% PM: 2% DM: 3% CM: 43% SM. Whereas the optimal blending ratio for lowest carbon footprint is realised at 42% PM: 21% DM: 30% CM: 7% SM. The designed model provides a thorough insight on optimal technical and environmental valorisation of livestock manures by pyrolysis.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationComputer Aided Chemical Engineering
PublisherElsevier B.V.
Pages2297-2302
Number of pages6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2023

Publication series

NameComputer Aided Chemical Engineering
Volume52
ISSN (Print)1570-7946

Keywords

  • Bio-oil
  • Biochar
  • GHG
  • Livestock manures
  • Optimisation
  • Pyrolysis

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