Mechanical biological treatment

A mechanical biological treatment (MBT) system is a type of waste processing facility that combines a sorting facility with a form of biological treatment such as composting or anaerobic digestion. MBT plants are designed to process mixed household waste as well as commercial and industrial wastes. Process The terms mechanical biological treatment or mechanical biological pre-treatment relate to a group of solid waste treatment systems. These systems enable the recovery of materials contained within the mixed waste and facilitate the stabilisation of the biodegradable component of the material. Twenty two facilities in the UK have implemented MBT/BMT treatment processes. The sorting component of the plants typically resemble a materials recovery facility. This component is either configured to recover the individual elements of the waste or produce a refuse-derived fuel that can be used for the generation of power. The components of the mixed waste stream that can be re

Hydrothermally Stable Sulfonated Carbons as Solid Acid Catalysts for the Hydrolysis of Lignocellulose

David Ferdinand Scholz

The recycling of homogeneous acids imposes great challenges to the feasibility of lignocellulose hydrolysis processes. Although heterogeneous catalysts would offer a perspective to circumvent these challenges, conventional solid acids are instable under the hydrothermal conditions typical of hydrolysis processes. In this regard, acid functionalized carbons appear as auspicious alternatives due to the higher perseverance of carbon frameworks. The strong Brønsted acid sites in sulfonated carbons would be particularly well suited to catalyze the hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass. The utilization of these materials has so far been impeded by the controversy regarding the stability of sulfonic acid groups in carbons. Furthermore, it remains uncertain how the constraints imposed on the reaction system by the insolubility of lignocellulose influence the ability of solid acids to function as hydrolysis catalysts. This thesis shows that hydrothermally stable sulfonated carbons can be prepared by utilizing the structure-stability dependence of sulfonic acid groups in carbonaceous materials. The sulfonation of materials featuring a low degree of graphitization resulted in active solid Brønsted acid catalysts that however deactivated through the leaching of sulfonic acid groups. An in-depth physicochemical characterization of the catalysts paired with a systematic study of the stability of model sulfonic acids, revealed that the leaching-tendency is defined by substituent effects. Activating/deactivating substituents control the hydrothermal stability of aryl sulfonic acids by decreasing/increasing the tendency of the carbon-sulfur bond to undergo solvolysis. The presence of stabilizing and destabilizing substituents was found to be tunable by the temperature dependent decomposition of oxygen containing surface groups. Sulfonation of cellulose carbonized at 350°C resulted in a catalyst with 850 µmol g-1 hydrothermally (180 °C) stable sulfonic acid groups. Additionally, a hitherto unknown mode of deactivation was identified that proceeds by the ion-exchange of cationic impurities with protons of the active sites. This mode of deactivation can be fully overcome by implementing countermeasures to reverse or suppress ion-exchange processes. To tackle the limitations of homogeneous acids, the stable sulfonated carbons were used as catalysts in a semi-batch based lignocellulose hydrolysis process. It was found that the chemical recalcitrance and the insolubility of the substrate imposed strong limitations on the reaction with the catalyst and that soluble product formation occurred predominantly via auto-hydrolysis. The propensity of cellulose to undergo auto-hydrolysis could be enhanced by amorphizing its crystal structure through mechanical pretreatment in ball-mill. A heterogeneously catalyzed hydrolysis was achieved through mechanocatalytic processes facilitated by the concerted ball-milling (CBM) of the sulfonated carbon with the substrate. Sulfonic acid groups were pinpointed as active sites during the mechanocatalytic formation of soluble oligosaccharides. The secondary hydrolysis to monosaccharides in the semi-batch reactor was no longer constrained by the insolubility of the substrate. The combination of CBM pretreatment and hydrolysis in the semi-batch reactor was successfully extrapolated to the conversion of spruce fir wood to achieve yields in C5 and C6 derived products that are competitive with state-of-the-art diluted acid processes.

EPFL2019

Enhanced Room-Temperature Ionic Conductivity of NaCB11H12 via High-Energy Mechanical Milling

Claudia Esther Avalos, Matteo Brighi, Radovan Cerny

The body-centered cubic (bcc) polymorph of NaCB11H12 has been stabilized at room temperature by highenergy mechanical milling. Temperature-dependent electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows an optimum at 45-min milling time, leading to an rt conductivity of 4 mS cm(-1). Mechanical milling suppresses an order-disorder phase transition in the investigated temperature range. Nevertheless, two main regimes can be identified, with two clearly distinct activation energies. Powder X-ray diffraction and Na-23 solid-state NMR reveal two different Na+ environments, which are partially occupied, in the bcc polymorph. The increased number of available sodium sites w.r.t. ccp polymorph raises the configurational entropy of the bcc phase, contributing to a higher ionic conductivity. Mechanical treatment does not alter the oxidative stability of NaCB11H12. Electrochemical test on a symmetric cell (Na vertical bar NaCB11H12 vertical bar Na) without control of the stack pressure provides a critical current density of 0.12 mA cm(-2), able to fully charge/discharge a 120 mA h g(-1) specific capacity positive electrode at the rate of C/2.

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2021

Effect of advanced oxidation processes on the micropollutants and the effluent organic matter contained in municipal wastewater previously treated by three different secondary methods

Luiz Felippe De Alencastro, Franco Alejandro Gamarra Vives, Stefanos Giannakis, Dominique Grandjean, Anoys Magnet, César Pulgarin

In this study, wastewater from the output of three different secondary treatment facilities (Activated Sludge, Moving Bed Bioreactor and Coagulation-Flocculation) present in the municipal wastewater treatment plant of Vidy, Lausanne (Switzerland), was further treated with various oxidation processes (UV, UV/H2O2, solar irradiation, Fenton, solar photo-Fenton), at laboratory scale. For this assessment, 6 organic micropollutants in agreement with the new environmental legislation requirements in Switzerland were selected (Carbamazepine, Clarithromycin, Diclofenac, Metoprolol, Benzotriazole, Mecoprop) and monitored throughout the treatment. Also, the overall removal of the organic load was assessed. After each secondary treatment, the efficiency of the AOPs increased in the following order: Coagulation-Flocculation < Activated Sludge < Moving Bed Bioreactor, in almost all cases. From the different combinations tested, municipal wastewater subjected to biological treatment followed by UV/ H2O2 resulted in the highest elimination levels. Wastewater previously treated by physicochemical treatment demonstrated considerably inhibited micropollutant degradation rates. The degradation kinetics were determined, yielding: k (UV) < k (UV/H2O2) and k (Fenton) < k (solar irradiation) < k (photo-Fenton). Finally, the evolution of global pollution parameters (COD & TOC elimination) was followed and the degradation pathways for the effluent organic matter are discussed.

Elsevier2015

Hydrothermally Stable Sulfonated Carbons as Solid Acid Catalysts for the Hydrolysis of Lignocellulose

David Ferdinand Scholz

EPFL2019