Hydrogen production with an auto-thermal MSW steam gasification and direct melting system: A process modeling

Municipal solid waste steam gasification and direct melting system is proposed in this study for H₂ production and ash melting simultaneously. Part of the H₂ generated in gasification is extracted for combustion with pure oxygen in the melting zone to provide the energy necessary for auto-thermal operation. A simulation model is developed with Aspen Plus to investigate the performance and optimum conditions of the system. For the feedstock with a lower heating value of 18.91 MJ/kg used in this study, 39.8% of the generated H₂ needs to be extracted to maintain the heat balance of the system at the gasification temperature of 900 °C, melting temperature of 1400 °C, and S/M of 1. The net H₂ yield is ～77.3 kg/t-MSW with a net cold gas efficiency of 49.1% under the same operating condition. An optimum operation condition for T (850–1000 °C) and S/M (0.6–1.0) is determined considering the balance between H₂ production ability and the auto-thermal energy balance.     

Analysis of suitability of TPP ash-slag waste as materials for hydrogen fuel storage

The current trends in energy were described, the main of which is the use of alternative energy sources, especially hydrogen. The most common methods of hydrogen accumulation were proposed: accumulation of compressed gaseous hydrogen in high-pressure tanks; accumulation of liquid hydrogen in cryogenic tanks; storing hydrogen in a chemically bound state; accumulation of gaseous hydrogen in carriers with a high specific surface area. Based on the combination of advantages and disadvantages, the most promising methods of accumulation were selected: storage of liquid hydrogen and storage of hydrogen in carriers with a high specific surface area. The main requirement for materials for hydrogen storage by these methods was revealed – a high specific surface area. Prospects for the development of waste-free low-emission technologies due to the recycling of secondary raw materials and the development of low-temperature technologies for the synthesis of functional and structural materials were substantiated. The applicability of large-scale ash and slag waste from coal-fired thermal power plants as a raw material for obtaining materials by low-temperature technologies was shown. The traditional ways of using ash and slag waste as a raw material, active additive and filler in the production of cements were described. Modern technologies for the production of innovative materials with a unique set of properties were presented, namely carbon nanotubes, silica aerogel and geopolymer materials. The prospect of using geopolymer matrices as a precursor for the synthesis of a number of materials was described; the most promising type of materials was selected – geopolymer foams, which are mainly used as sorbents for purifying liquids and gases or accumulating target products, as well as heat-insulating materials. The possibility of obtaining products of any shape and size on the basis of geopolymer matrices without high-temperature processing was shown. The special efficiency of the development of the technology of porous granules and powders obtained from a geopolymer precursor using various methods was substantiated. The obtained granules can be used in the following hydrogen storage technologies: direct accumulation of hydrogen in porous granules; creation of insulating layers for liquid hydrogen storage units.     

飞灰固结体在沥青混合料中应用研究

通过对新型固结剂固化飞灰生成的固结体研磨成微粉全部或部分替代矿粉作为沥青混合料进行试验探究。试验结果表明,当微粉替代矿粉时,混合料的物理性能、水稳定性及高温稳定性得到了提高,确定了微粉替代矿粉最佳替代率。微粉在沥青混合料中重金属的存在状态采用多级提取的方法进行分析,试验结果进一步证明了微粉中重金属在沥青混合料中的长期稳定性。为焚烧垃圾飞灰固化稳定化和资源化利用提供了一定的理论指导。     

Effect of ash on dielectric properties and micro-structure of high alkali coal at different temperature pyrolysis

The effect of ash on dielectric properties and micro-structure of high alkali coal at different temperature pyrolysis was studied, so as to provide theoretical basis for coal deep processing by microwave. An acid-washed method was adopted to remove ash in Zhundong coal for preparing coal chars at 700 °C–1300 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to characterize the microcrystal structure. The thermal stability was characterized by thermogravimetric analyzer, and the dielectric properties were measured by a vector network analyzer. The results showed that when the pyrolysis temperature was below 1100 °C, the presence of ash hindered the development of carbon structure in raw coal char. The main reason is that the alkali metal oxides (K₂O and Na₂O) in the ash promoted the solution loss reaction during pyrolysis. The structure of the original carbon layer was damaged, thereby the graphitization degree, thermal stability and dielectric properties of raw coal char were weaker than the ash-free coal char. When the pyrolysis temperature reached 1300 °C, the minerals were completely melted. The reaction of phase transition of SiO₂ in ash played a catalytic role on raw coal char structure, resulting in tighter arrangement of adjacent carbon layers. The raw coal char showed stronger dielectric properties and thermal stability.     

加强配装管理 保证商品煤质量

西山煤电股份公司马兰矿选煤厂在选煤生产过程中,会出现精煤灰分不稳定的现象。为解决因生产质量不稳定,导致产品质量不合格或者过剩的问题,经过研究,摸索出一套简单、准确、直观,适合各个选煤厂配装的管理模式,并通过柱状图、加权统计等方法进行分析,做出配装方案。实践证明,该方法能够把不同质量的精煤通过配煤达到产品质量合格,避免不合格产品出厂,使选煤厂在生产过程中提高分选密度及精煤产量,使精煤回收率达到上限,数量效率、质量效率达到最大,提高了经济效益。因此,该方法值得推广与借鉴。     

Assessment of tracing element characteristics of F-type fly and bottom ash mixture

Presently, fly ash–water slurry is transported to ash disposal site at very low solid concentration of approximately 15–20% (by weight), resulting in huge water and energy wastage which leads to several environmental and health problem. The production of a large amount of the toxic metal elements in the ash disposal system of the thermal power plants can pose negative environmental effects on human health and on plants. In the present study, an attempt has been made to investigate the leaching characteristics of fly ash at higher concentrations. The bottom ash was taken as an additive in the proportion of 10, 20, and 30% (by weight) to enhance the leaching characteristics of fly ash. The solid concentration of fly ash suspension was taken in the range of 40 to 60% (by weight). The addition of additive helps to reduce the tracing metal concentration of fly ash. Leaching experiment data show that leachate concentration of all tracing elements present in fly ash reduced maximum with 20% addition of bottom ash (by weight). The present study helps to improve the ash disposal system of the thermal power plant and to minimize the environmental impact.     

Preparation and characterization of fully waste-based glass-ceramics from incineration fly ash,waste glass and coal fly ash

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash (FA) is a typical hazardous waste due to its high contents of toxic heavy metals, and hence its disposal has attracted global concern. In this work, it was recycled into environmental-friendly CaO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ system glass-ceramics via adding coal fly ash (CFA) and waste glass (WG). The effects of CaO/SiO₂ ratios and sintering temperatures on the crystalline phases, morphologies, mechanical and chemical properties, heavy metals leaching and potential ecological risks of glass-ceramics were investigated. The results showed that wollastonite (CaSiO₃), anorthite (CaAl₂Si₂O₈) and gehlenite (Ca₂Al₂SiO₇) were the dominant crystals in the glass-ceramics, which were not affected by CaO/SiO₂ ratio and sintering temperature. The compressive strength increased, while the Vickers hardness and microhardness decreased as increasing the sintering temperatures from 850 to 1050 °C, which reached their maximum values of 660.69 MPa, 6.14 GPa, and 7.43 GPa, respectively. However, the increase of CaO/SiO₂ ratio resulted into the reduction of the three mechanical parameters. As varying CaO/SiO₂ ratio from 0.48 to 0.86, the maximum compressive strength, Vickers hardness and microhardness were 611.80 MPa, 5.43 GPa, and 6.56 GPa, respectively. Besides, all the glass-ceramics exhibited high alkali resistance of >97%. The extremely low heavy metals leaching concentrations and low potential ecological risk of glass-ceramics further revealed its environmentally friendly property and potential application feasibility.     

降低焦炭灰分对成本的影响

对2011年和2012年韶钢入炉煤灰分和自产焦炭灰分进行了比较,并分析了降低焦炭灰分对成本的影响。结果表明,韶钢2012年自产焦炭灰分对比2011年下降0.54%,实现降低成本约4 040万元。     

Thermodynamic analysis and techno-economic assessment of synthetic natural gas production via ash agglomerating fluidized bed gasification using coal as fuel

Implementing coal to synthetic natural gas (SNG) is a key way to deal with the conflict between supply and demand of natural gas in China. For the coal to SNG process, gasification is a crucial unit, which determines the syngas composition and influences cost of coal to SNG system. In this current study, a coal to SNG system using ash agglomerating fluidized bed gasification is designed and modeled. According to the above results, the thermal performance and technoeconomic assessment of the coal to SNG system are performed. The research demonstrates that exergy efficiency and energy efficiency of the whole system are 55.37% and 61.50%, respectively. Additionally, the results of the economic evaluation show that the SNG production cost is 1.87 CNY/Nm³ with a coal price of 250 CNY/t and an electricity price of 0.65 CNY/kWh. Sensitivities to variables such as water price, electricity price, total equipment cost and coal price are performed. Coal price represents the most important sensitivity, but the sensitivity to water price is relatively small.     

Biomass availability and quality produced by vineyard management during a period of 15 years

Agricultural residue could become a potential biomass source for energy production because it is available every year in areas accessible to tractors and vehicles. The aim of this work was to quantify the biomass available and its fuel characteristics, considering pruning residue from management of five main vine varieties planted in northwest Italy (barbera, dolcetto, cortese, cabernet sauvignon, and moscato) for a period of 15 years (from 2000 to 2014). Throughout the test period, pruning residue production ranged between 0.45 and 1.34 kg (1850–5360 kg ha⁻¹) per plant. The average higher heating value of the five vine varieties tested ranged from 17.92 to 18.02 MJ kg⁻¹, whereas the lower calorific value ranged between 7.34 and 7.96 MJ kg⁻¹. The average ash content was approximately 3.85%. No statistical difference in biofuel characteristics was found between the vine varieties considered. This study highlights the high potential of vineyard pruning residue as a biofuel for energy production. In contrast, it is of considerable importance to know that biomass production can vary considerably between vine varieties and between years. This latter aspect is very important because, according to reference years, it is possible to under- or overestimate biomass production.