Please wait a minute...
Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2014, Vol. 13 Issue (3): 471-482    DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(13)60702-9
Section 1: Biochar Characters and Impacts Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
The Hydrochar Characters of Municipal Sewage Sludge Under Different Hydrothermal Temperatures and Durations
 ZHANG Jin-hong, LIN Qi-mei , ZHAO Xiao-rong
Department of Soil and Water Science, College of Resource and Environment, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.China
Download:  PDF in ScienceDirect  
Export:  BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      
摘要  Innovative measure is a urgent requirement for managing the huge volume of municipal sewage sludge. The hydrothermal carbonation (HTC) shows some potential advantages for using hydrochar as a soil conditioner. The aim of this work was to investigate the properties of hydrochars, by means of the HTC of municipal sewage sludge under different temperatures (190 and 260°C) and reaction hours (1, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h). The HTC led to the decreases of N, O and H contents by more than 54.6, 37.9 and 10.0%, respectively, and slight changes of C content. The Py-GC-MS analysis showed that a large proportion of fatty acids, in particular hexadecanoic acid, transferred into alkenes, olefins and aromatic compounds. The 13C-NMR and fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) confirmed the transformation and changes in chemical structure in which hydrochar contained lower oxygen-containing organic C of O-alkyl, carboxylic and carbonyl C and aliphaticity, but higher aromatic C and aromaticity. The rich hydrophobic functions induced in high positive charges in the charred sludge. The HTC facilitated the pore structure development, proved by higher specific surface area and specific pore volume, with a maximum of 17.30 and 0.83 cm3 g-1, respectively. The availabilities of N, P and K markedly reduced during HTC treatment. The activities of most heavy metals were depressed though they accumulated in the hydrochar. Further work is required to investigate the values and risk of the charred sludge amended to soil.

Abstract  Innovative measure is a urgent requirement for managing the huge volume of municipal sewage sludge. The hydrothermal carbonation (HTC) shows some potential advantages for using hydrochar as a soil conditioner. The aim of this work was to investigate the properties of hydrochars, by means of the HTC of municipal sewage sludge under different temperatures (190 and 260°C) and reaction hours (1, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h). The HTC led to the decreases of N, O and H contents by more than 54.6, 37.9 and 10.0%, respectively, and slight changes of C content. The Py-GC-MS analysis showed that a large proportion of fatty acids, in particular hexadecanoic acid, transferred into alkenes, olefins and aromatic compounds. The 13C-NMR and fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) confirmed the transformation and changes in chemical structure in which hydrochar contained lower oxygen-containing organic C of O-alkyl, carboxylic and carbonyl C and aliphaticity, but higher aromatic C and aromaticity. The rich hydrophobic functions induced in high positive charges in the charred sludge. The HTC facilitated the pore structure development, proved by higher specific surface area and specific pore volume, with a maximum of 17.30 and 0.83 cm3 g-1, respectively. The availabilities of N, P and K markedly reduced during HTC treatment. The activities of most heavy metals were depressed though they accumulated in the hydrochar. Further work is required to investigate the values and risk of the charred sludge amended to soil.
Keywords:  municipal sewage sludge       hydrothermal carbonization       hydrochar  
Received: 09 October 2013   Accepted:
Fund: 

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41071206).

Corresponding Authors:  ZHAO Xiao-rong, Mobile: 13522969708, E-mail: zhaoxr@cau.edu.cn     E-mail:  zhaoxr@cau.edu.cn
About author:  ZHANG Jin-hong

Cite this article: 

ZHANG Jin-hong, LIN Qi-mei , ZHAO Xiao-rong. 2014. The Hydrochar Characters of Municipal Sewage Sludge Under Different Hydrothermal Temperatures and Durations. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 13(3): 471-482.

Aworn A, Thiravetyan P, Nakbanpote W. 2008. Preparation and characteristics of agricultural waste activated carbon by physical activation having micro-and mesopores. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 82, 279- 285.

Barlindhaug J, Ødegaard H. 1996. Thermal hydrolysis for the production of carbon source for denitrification. Water Science and Technology, 34, 371-378

 Berge N D, Ro K S, Mao J, Flora J R V, Chappell M A, Bae S. 2011. Hydrothermal carbonization of municipal waste streams. Environmental Science & Technology, 45, 5696-5703

 Cao X, Ro K S, Chappell M, Li Y, Mao J. 2011. Chemical structures of swine-manure chars produced under different carbonization conditions investigated by advanced solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Energy and Fuels, 25, 388-397

 Channiwala S A, Parikh P P. 2002. A unified correlation for estimating HHV of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. Fuel, 81, 1051-1063

 Chen M, Li X M, Yang Q, Zeng G M, Zhang Y, Liao D X, Liu J J, Hu J M, Guo L. 2008. Total concentrations and speciation of heavy metals in municipal sludge from Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan in middle-south region of China. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 160, 324-329

 Cheng C H, Lehmann J, Engelhard M H. 2008. Natural oxidation of black carbon in soils: Changes in molecular form and surface charge along a climosequence. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 72, 1598-1610

 Chorover J, Amistadi M K, Chadwick O A. 2006. Surface charge evolution of mineral-organic complexes during pedogenesis in Hawaiian basalt. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 68, 4859-4876

 Cui X, Antonietti M, Yu S H. 2006. Structural effects of iron oxide nanoparticles and iron ions on the hydrothermal carbonization of starch and rice carbohydrates. Small, 2, 756-759

 Demir-Caken, R, Baccile N, Antonietti M, Titirici M. 2009. Carboxylate-rich carbonaceous materials via one-step hydrothermal carbonization of glucose in the presence of acrylic acid. Chemistry of Materials, 21, 484-490

 Downie A, Crosky A, Munroe P. 2009. Physical properties of biochar. In: Lehmann J, Joseph S, eds., Biochar for Environmental Management-Science and Technology. Earthscan, London, UK. pp. 13-32

 Funke A, Ziegler F. 2010. Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass: a summary and discussion of chemical mechanisms for process engineering. Biofuels Bioproducts & Biorefining-Biofpr, 4, 160-177

 GB/T 212-2008 2008. Proximate analysis of coal. Standardization administration of the People’s Republic of China. State Environmental Protection Administration. General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China. pp. 3-5

GB 18918-2002 2002. Discharge standard of pollutants for municipal wastewater treatment plant. State Environmental Protection Administration. General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China. p. 8.

Heilmann S M, Davis H T, Jader L R, Lefebvre P A, Sadowsky M J, Schendel F J, Keitz M G, Valentas K J. 2010. Hydrothermal carbonization of microalgae. Biomass and Bioenergy, 34, 875-882

 Hnatukova P, Kopecka I, Pivokonsky M. 2011. Adsorption of cellular peptides of Microcystis aeruginosa and two herbicides onto activated carbon: Effect of surface charge and interactions. Water Research, 45, 3359-3368

 Hong J L, Li X Z. 2011. Environmental assessment of sewage sludge as secondary raw material in cement production - A case study in China. Waste Management, 31, 1364-1371

 Hossain M K, Strezov V, Chan K Y, Ziolkowski A, Nelson P F. 2011. Influence of pyrolysis temperature on production and nutrient properties of wastewater sludge biochar. Journal of Environmental Management, 92, 223-228

 Hu B, Yu S H, Wang K, Liu L, Xu X W. 2008. Functional carbonaceous materials from hydrothermal carbonization of biomass: An effective chemical process. Dalton Transactions, 40, 5414-5423

 Hwang I H, Aoyama H, Matsuto T, Nakagishi T, Matsuo T. 2012. Recovery of solid fuel from municipal solid waste by hydrothermal treatment. Waste Management, 32, 410- 416.

Ibarra V, Munoz E, Moliner R. 1996. FTIR study of the evolution of coal structure during the coalification process. Organic Geochemistry, 24, 725-735

 Jorand F, Bouge-Bigne F, Block J C, Urbain V. 1998. Hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of activated sludge exopolymeric substances. Water Science and Technology, 37, 307-316

 Kaal J, Cortizas A M, Nierop K G J. 2009. Characterisation of aged charcoal using a coil probe pyrolysis-GC/MS method optimised for black carbon. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 85, 408-416

 Kim K, Fujie K, Fujisawa T. 2008. Feasibility of recycling residual solid from hydrothermal treatment of excess sludge. Environmental Engineering and Management, 13, 112-118

 Li X, Ke Z, Dong J. 2011. PCDDs and PCDFs in sewage sludges from two wastewater treatment plants in Beijing, China. Chemosphere, 82, 635-638

 Liao B Q, Allen D G, Droppo I G, Leppard G G, Liss S N. 2001. Surface properties of sludge and their role in bioflocclusion and settleability. Water Research, 35,339-350

Libra J A, Ro K S, Kammann C, Funke A, Berge N D,Neubauer Y, Titirici M M, Fühner C, Bens O, Kern J,et al. 2011. Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass residuals: a comparative review of the chemistry,processes and applications of wet and dry pyrolysis.Biofuels, 2, 89-124

Liu Z, Zhang F S. 2009. Removal of lead from water usingbiochars prepared from hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 167, 933-939

Liu Z, Zhang F S. 2011. Removal of copper (II) and phenolfrom aqueous solution using porous carbons derivedfrom hydrothermal chars. Desalination, 267, 101-106

Liu Z, Zhang F S, Wu J Z. 2010. Characterization andapplication of chars produced from pinewood pyrolysisand hydrothermal treatment. Fuel, 89, 510-514

Lu L, Namioka T, Yoshikawa K. 2011. Effects of hydrothermal treatment on characteristics andcombustion behaviors of municipal solid wastes. AppliedEnergy, 88, 3659-3664

Mumme J, Eckervogt L, Pielert J, Diakité M, Rupp F, KernJ. 2011. Hydrothermal carbonization of anaerobicallydigested maize silage. Bioresource Technology, 102,9255-9260

Rillig M C, Wagner M, Salem M, Antunes P M, George C,Ramke H G, Titirici M M, Antonietti M. 2010. Materialderived from hydrothermal carbonization: Effects onplant growth and arbuscular mycorrhiza. Applied Soil Ecology, 45, 238-242

Š?an?ar J, Mila?i?Scancar J, Milacic R, Strazar M, Burica O.2000. Total metal concentrations and partitioning of Cd,Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn in sewage sludge. The Science ofthe Total Environment, 250, 9-19

Sevilla M, Fuertes A B. 2009a. Chemical and structural properties of carbonaceous products obtained byhydrothermal carbonization of saccharides. Chemistry-AEuropean Journal, 15, 4195-4203

Sevilla M, Fuertes A B. 2009b. The production of carbonmaterials by hydrothermal carbonization of cellulose.Carbon, 47, 2281-2289

Song J, Peng P. 2010. Characterisation of black carbonmaterials by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Journal of Analytical and AppliedPyrolysis, 87, 129-137

Titirici M M, Thomas A, Antonietti M. 2007a. Back in theblack: hydrothermal carbonization of plant material as an efficient chemical process to treat the CO2 problem?New Journal of Chemistry, 31, 787-789

Titirici M M, Thomas A, Yu S H, Muller J O, Antonietti M.2007b. A direct synthesis of mesoporous carbons withbicontinuous pore morphology from crude plant materialby hydrothermal carbonization. Chemistry of Materials,19, 4205-4212

Wang X, Si J, Tan H, Zhao Q, Xu T. 2011. Kinetics investigation on the reduction of NO using straw char based on physicochemical characterization. BioresourceTechnology, 102, 7401-7406

Xue T, Huang X. 2007. Releasing characteristics of phosphorus and other substances during thermal treatment of excess sludge. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 19, 1153-1158

Yao C, Shin Y, Wang L Q, Windisch C F, Samuels W D,Arey B W, Wang C, Risen W M, Exarhos G J. 2007.Hydrothermal dehydration of aqueous fructose solutionsin a closed system. Journal of Physical Chemistry (C),111, 15141-15145

Yu J, Tian N N, Wang K J, Ren Y. 2007. Analysis and discussion of sludge disposal and treatment of sewage treatment plants in China. Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering, 1, 82-86 (in Chinese)

Yu S, Cui X, Li L, Li K, Yu B, Antonietti M, Colfen H.2004. From starch to metal/carbon hybrid nanostructures: hydrothermal metal-catalyzed carbonization. AdvancedMaterials, 18, 1636-1640

Zhang J H, Luo Q, Lin Q M, Zhao X X, Li G T, Wu G F.2013. Characteristics of wastewater from municipal sludge after hydrothermal carbonization treatment.Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering, 7, 3363-3368 (in Chinese)

Zhang Y A, Gao D, Chen T B, Zheng G D, Li Y X. 2006.Economical evaluation of different techniques totreatment and dispose sewage sludge in Beijing. Ecologyand Environment, 15, 234-238. (in Chinese)
No related articles found!
No Suggested Reading articles found!