Evaluating the Design and Economics of Commercial-Scale Hydrothermal Carbonization of Biosolids for Energy Generation

Abstract

The topic of this project was designed with the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facilities (TMWRF) and was completed under the advisement of the Department of Chemical and Materials engineering at the University of Nevada Reno. The goal of this project was to design a process to produce energy from biosolid waste using a continuous hydrothermal carbonization reaction and to evaluate the economics of implementing the technology for TMWRF. The hydrothermal carbonization reaction was investigated by conducting batch reactions in the lab and by reviewing previously conducted research in literature reviews. The scale-up of the process from batch reaction to utility-scale continuous operation was conducted based on chemical engineering techniques and simulation. A business model was also constructed to evaluate the profitability of a proposed company.