(92a) Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Municipal Solid Waste Using Binary Transition Metal Oxide (BTMO) Nanoparticles

Sol-gel derived iron based binary transition metal oxide (BTMO) nanoparticles obtained at calcination temperatures of 600-800^oC were investigated as catalytic materials for the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of the municipal solid waste. Prior to liquefaction reaction, the powdered BTMO nanoparticles were analyzed using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and BET surface area analyzer. The hydrothermal liquefaction of a slurry containing 10-20 wt.% solid waste was carried at temperatures of 250-325^oC. Following the HTL reaction, the recovered aqueous phase was characterized by HPLC and GC-MS. The analysis indicated the presence of alcohols, ethers, esters, ketones, phenols, and carboxylic acids. From the recovered biochar, bio-oil was extracted using acetone/ethanol. The higher heating value (HHV) of the oil was found to be approx. 35 MJ/kg. The biochar was sonicated to convert into submicron particles and graphitized in an inert atmosphere and analyzed by BET surface area analyzer. The powdered carbon obtained has utility as a soil amendment material, filtration media, and electrode for a supercapacitor. Detailed synthesis method for BTMO catalyst, yields of different products and coproducts after HTL, utilization of biochar as electrode material, and HHV of the oils recovered will be presented.