title: Consequences of sludge composition on combustion performance derived from thermogravimetry analysis.
abstract: Wastewater treatment plants produce millions of tons of sewage sludge. Sewage sludge is recognized as a promising feedstock for power generation via combustion and can be used for energy crisis adaption. We aimed to investigate the quantitative effects of various sludge characteristics on the overall sludge combustion process performance. Different types of sewage sludge were derived from numerous wastewater treatment plants in Beijing for further thermogravimetric analysis. Thermogravimetric-differential thermogravimetric curves were used to compare the performance of the studied samples. Proximate analytical data, organic compositions, elementary composition, and calorific value of the samples were determined. The relationship between combustion performance and sludge composition was also investigated. Results showed that the performance of sludge combustion was significantly affected by the concentration of protein, which is the main component of volatiles. Carbohydrates and lipids were not correlated with combustion performance, unlike protein. Overall, combustion performance varied with different sludge organic composition. The combustion rate of carbohydrates was higher than those of protein and lipid, and carbohydrate weight loss mainly occurred during the second stage (175-300°C). Carbohydrates have a substantial effect on the rate of system combustion during the second stage considering the specific combustion feature. Additionally, the combustion performance of digested sewage sludge is more negative than the others.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, PR China.
authors.forename: Meiyan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, PR China.
authors.forename: Benyi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, PR China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, PR China. Electronic address: jxliu@rcees.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Junxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D002681:China; D017745:Incineration / Q000379:methods; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013818:Thermogravimetry; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D008055:Lipids; D011506:Proteins; D012722:Sewage; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Combustion; Sewage sludge; Sludge composition; Thermogravimetric analysis