Gasification performance of the hydrochar derived from co-hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge and sawdust

Co-hydrothermal carbonization (co-HTC) is recognized as a promising pretreatment for upgrading fuel quality of high moisture biomass prior to further thermal conversion. The properties of the hydrochar derived from co-HTC of sewage sludge (SS) and sawdust (SD), and CO2 gasification characteristics of the hydrochar were investigated. The results showed that the hydrochar had enhanced aromatic degree and increased metals content compared to raw sludge. The hydrochar also exhibited an enhanced gasification reactivity, resulting in high carbon monoxide content in the syngas than that from SS under identical conditions. The temperature and SD/SS mass ratio had a significant influence on the syngas composition mainly by the Boudouard reaction and water gas reaction. The gasification reactivity was strongly associated with the inorganic elements, and the KAlSi3O8 inhibited while the K2CO3 promoted the gasification reaction of hydrochars. Under optimal conditions, a high gasification efficiency of 77.73% was obtained, and the lower heating value of the syngas reached 8.15 MJ/Nm(3). This study indicated that co-HTC of SS and SD combined with subsequent gasification had promising potential towards syngas production with high quality. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.