WPI chemical engineers get grants to research on converting MSW into advanced biofuels

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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.

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