• Energy Research

Valorising biomass waste and producing renewable energy or materials is the aim of several conversion technologies. In this work, we consider two residues from different production chains: lignocellulosic residues from agriculture and wool residues from sheep husbandry. These materials are produced in large quantities, and their disposal is often costly and challenging for farmers. For their valorisation, we focus on slow pyrolysis for the former and water hydrolysis for the latter, concisely presenting the main literature related to these two processes. Pyrolysis produces the C-rich biochar, suitable for soil amending. Hydrolysis produces a N-rich fertiliser. We demonstrate how these two processes could be fruitfully integrated, as their products can be flexibly mixed to produce fertilisers. This solution would allow the achievement of balanced and tuneable ratios between C and N and the enhancement of the mechanical properties. We propose scenarios for this combined valorisation and for its coupling with other industries. As a result, biomass waste would be returned to the field, following the principles of circular economy.

The development of robust mathematical models could provide the necessary tools for a more rapid, efficient, and reliable spouted bed technology development. Computer simulations can be very useful to aid this design and scale-up process: firstly, they can contribute to obtain a fundamental insight into their complex dynamic behavior by understanding the elementary physical principles such as drag, friction, dissipation etc.; secondly, the simulations can be used as a design tool where the ultimate goal is to have a numerical model with predictive capabilities for gas-particle flows at engineering scale. Clearly, one single simulation method will not be able to achieve this goal, but a hierarchy of methods modelling phenomena on different length and time scales can achieve this. The most fruitful approach will be when they are simultaneously followed, so that they can mutually benefit from each other. In this sense, this paper presents a review of the current state of the art of modelling on spouted and spout-fluid beds through an analysis of recent literature following a multiscale approach (molecular and particle, lab, plant and industrial scale). The main features of the different scales together with their current limits are discussed and specific topics are highlighted as paths that still need to be explored. In summary, the paper aims to define the theoretical setline and the basis of improvement that would lead to a robust multiscale model with solid links between micro and macroscopic phenomena. If done with the correct balance between accuracy and computational costs it will gear SB towards their reliable and successful implementation.

An improved and more sustainable waste management system is required for successful development of technologies based on renewable sources. Rice straw is submitted to controlled combustion reactions and the produced ashes are chemically treated to produce silica. After a chemical activation step, the activated silica shows potential as an adsorbent agent and will be used to remove the excess of nitrates in groundwater and wells in the area of Alginet (Valencia, Spain), selected as a vulnerable zone within the Nitrates Directive. The demonstration activity aims to have a local impact on municipalities of 200 inhabitants or fewer, decreasing from current nitrate concentrations close to 50 mg/L, to a target of 25 mg/L. In a successive step, the methodology will be transferred to other municipalities with similar nitrate problems (Piemonte, Italy) and replicated to remove different pollutants such as manure (the Netherlands) and waste waters from the textile industry (Italy).

Abstract CFD-DEM is an established approach to simulate spouted beds, but researchers usually focus on batch units, without commenting on the residence time distribution of the particles. In this work, we employed our validated CFD-DEM approach to simulate a continuously-fed square-based spouted bed, in the framework of the development of a scaled-up multiple unit. After analysing several flow patterns of the spouted bed, we propose three methods that permit evaluating the residence time distribution curve of the particles on the basis of the results of the simulations. These methods allow exploiting CFD-DEM's great reliability without reproducing the actual tracer experiment, which would be too time-consuming. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, but all of them were able to provide a good match of the experimental E(t) curve and may be applied to other devices as well.

Abstract A spouting bed reactor using rice straw as feedstock for further gasification purposes was studied in the present work. Experimental fluid dynamic tests were carried out in a conical square-based spouted bed reactor using a mixture of straw and silica, the latter acting as inert material. The influence of the initial bed of particles and the presence of coarse particles in the mixture on the pressure drop and minimum spouting velocity were evaluated. As a result, lower values of pressure drop along the bed were found compared to conventional fluidisation processes. Higher initial bed heights and higher percentage of straw in the mixture resulted in higher values of pressure drop and minimum spouting velocity. A new correlation for a cross section spouted bed reactor was proposed for the prediction of the minimum spouting velocity.

Abstract From experiments, the influence of the physical characteristics of different binary mixtures of solids on the spouting regime of a pyramidal square-based spouted bed reactor is assessed. The applied methodology permits a more precise evaluation of the effects of the tested variables (diameter, density, sphericity) on the response variables (minimum air flows at which spouting begins and at which to maintain spouting conditions). The associated pressure drops along the bed of particles and the height of the formed fountain are analysed in each case. During the initial stages of fluidisation, binary mixtures containing different density ratios show dead zones. Segregation becomes more evident at large-size and high-density ratios. The lack of sphericity was found to be the main reason leading to blocking, channelling, and start-up problems when system failures occur. Nevertheless, the extent of segregation in all cases decreases with increasing the spouting velocity. In addition, a computational fluid dynamic model based on the discrete element method, previously validated for a single solid bed, is proposed as a tool to predict and evaluate potential segregation phenomena in binary mixtures. This model reproduced with high accuracy the encountered segregation phenomena. Its use may help define the technical limits inherent in the pyramidal spouted bed reactor.

Conventional mechanical recycling technologies cannot recycle all types and amounts of generated plastic waste. Pyrolysis can convert these municipal mixed plastic streams into products with significant calorific value, which are likely to be used as energy sources. The present work describes a technology used to expand the portfolio of technical approaches to drive plastics circularity, i.e., thermochemical recycling. A base case scenario considered a capacity of 1.000 kg/h of municipal plastic waste, consisting of a mixture of polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), and plastic associated with paper, which were converted into non-condensable gases, oil, and char through a pyrogasification system. Based on mass and energy balances and experimental data from the literature, a total of 199.4 kg (48 MJ/kg) of liquid fuel and 832.85 kg (16 MJ/kg) of gas could be obtained with no need for external heating sources. The thermal requirement for the pyrolysis of 1.000 kg of municipal plastic waste (1.316 MJ) was supplied by the gasification of a fraction of the produced pyrolysis oil and gases. This feasibility analysis confirmed the technical adequacy of the proposed technology, which that will be further complemented by a technoeconomic study of the proposed solution.

Abstract Spouted Bed Reactors (SBRs) are currently receiving a lot of attention due to their properties: thanks to the enhanced mass and energy transfer rates and the unique configuration of these reactors, solid particles can be handled with very high efficiency, making them suitable for several applications, such as biomass gasification. Spouted Bed Reactors can also give positive responses to the problem of segregation, which strongly compromises the efficiency of processes involving the handling of heterogeneous mixtures. The aim of this work is to study the behaviour of a spouted bed facility, both experimentally and via simulations performed with the CFD program ANSYS FLUENT, in view of a possible employment of it to assess the scale up criteria or segregation phenomena in spouted beds. The solid phase is simulated enabling the DDPM-DEM model (Dense Discrete Phase Model - Discrete Element Method), commonly known as the Eulerian-Lagrangian approach. The influence of the following physical properties of the particles on the onset velocity was assessed: diameter, sphericity and density. The results of the simulations were compared with those obtained experimentally, for a single solid phase using three different types of inert material (glass, sand and PET) and also for a binary mixture. The model has been proved to be a useful tool to evaluate the performance and estimate the onset gas velocity of the spouted bed.