WPI chemical engineers get grants to research on converting MSW into advanced biofuels
Type of post: NEWS.
Chemical engineers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) are strengthening
efforts to convert waste into advanced biofuels, in order to lower reliance on
fossil fuels and cut the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) going into
landfills. They have been recently awarded 1,995 k$ grant from the US Department
of Energy (DOE) and 275 k$ grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
Press release: “WPI Professor Expands Green Energy
Research with $2M DOE Grant”, 22/1/2020.
Figure 1. Professor Timko is researching on converting
MSW into advanced biofuels (extracted from the press release)
Background
The US generated more than 262 Mtons of MSW in
2015, about 34% of which was made up of food and green waste. Typically, they are
disposed of in landfills. The problem is that landfill space is reaching
existing limits and there are leaks of water pollutants, toxins and greenhouse
gases. The main process currently used to valorize this organic fraction is
anaerobic digestion. However, it cannot easily handle yard waste, especially if
it contains wood. Michael Timko, associate professor of chemical engineering,
has been developing alternative ways to significantly improve the yield of
biofuel that can be created from this kind of wastes.
The research
One of the main goals of the WPI project is to
develop a catalytic method for converting the MSW components into an
energy-dense oil. The hydrothermal liquefaction process converts the feed into several
fractions: oil, gas, char and water. WPI researchers are working to improve the
hydrothermal process to get the highest-quality fuel possible, to divert the
carbon lost to the water fraction into the production of oil, and to minimize
the amount of energy put into the process while maximizing the energy produced.
To do that, they are studying various catalysts. For instance, the red mud: an
inexpensive, stable waste generated during the production of aluminium.
Timko is teaming up on the project with Andrew
Teixeira, assistant professor of chemical engineering, and Geoffrey Tompsett,
assistant research professor of chemical engineering. The group is expanding its
earlier research to mix food waste with municipal green waste, such as yard
trimmings, leaves and sticks. By combining the two kinds of waste, the
researchers are aiming to create even more energy-dense oil that can be
upgraded to a liquid biofuel. Timko hopes to have a working pilot by the end of
the three-year grant.
