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Quantification of total organic carbon in ashes from smoldering combustion of sewage sludge via a thermal treatment—TGA method.pdf
Published (Version of Record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Quantification of total organic carbon in ashes from smoldering combustion of sewage sludge via a thermal treatment—TGA method
ACS Omega, Vol.5(51), pp.33445-33454
2020
Abstract
Self-sustaining smoldering combustion is a promising technology for treating sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants because of its low energy inputs. Proper use or disposal of the resulting ashes requires thorough characterization of their properties, including the content of total organic carbon (TOC). Here, we develop a two-step method for quantifying TOC in the raw ashes from sewage sludge smoldering combustion. The first step is to thermally treat the raw ashes at 500 °C in N2 for 1 h, followed by ultimate analysis of both the raw ashes and the thermally treated ashes. This enables the quantification of carbon released during thermal treatment. The second step is nonisothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the thermally treated ashes, in which the samples are heated to 900 °C at 10 °C/min in air. The weight losses at 310–500 °C are confirmed to be caused by organic carbon oxidation, allowing us to determine the contents of carbon retained in the thermally treated ashes. The sums of these two portions of carbon represent the contents of TOC in the raw ashes, which are ∼0.85–6.52 wt % (dry basis), depending on their locations and particle sizes. The two-step (thermal treatment–TGA) method is validated via a method that includes acid washing of the thermally treated ashes, ultimate analysis of the acid-washed ashes, and TOC analysis of the leachates. The two-step method is simple and accurate and, importantly, provides thorough information on the thermal behavior of the raw and thermally treated ashes.
Details
- Title
- Quantification of total organic carbon in ashes from smoldering combustion of sewage sludge via a thermal treatment—TGA method
- Authors/Creators
- S. Cheng (Author/Creator) - Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyX. Gao (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityL. Cao (Author/Creator) - Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyQ. Wang (Author/Creator) - Wuhan Ship Development & Design InstituteY. Qiao (Author/Creator) - Huazhong University of Science and Technology
- Publication Details
- ACS Omega, Vol.5(51), pp.33445-33454
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society
- Identifiers
- 991005540780107891
- Copyright
- © 2020 American Chemical Society
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Engineering and Energy
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 7 Engineering & Materials Science
- 7.139 Energy & Fuels
- 7.139.1964 Spontaneous Combustion
- Web Of Science research areas
- Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
- ESI research areas
- Chemistry