The Impact of Hydrothermal Carbonization Treatment on Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste

A significant portion of the produced Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is organic materials, especially in developing countries. Most MSW management problems are pertinent to the Organic Fraction of the Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW). In this experimental investigation, the impact of the hydrochar produced by Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) at different temperatures on Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of Tehran s OFMSW has been investigated. The parameters including the amount of Volatile Matter (VM), Fixed Carbon (FC), ash content, hydrochar yield, heating value, and energy yield, elemental analysis, proximate analysis, and biomethane production results were employed to examine how and why hydrochars are effective. The impact of the hydrochars produced at 150, 190, and 230°C on AD was analyzed for the OFMSW. In the hydrothermal carbonization process, the hydrochar yield declined as temperature increased while the energy yield in hydrochar-190 reached its maximum thanks to increased heating value. The impact of hydrochar on biomethane production content varied. In the hydrochars produced at 150 and 190 °C, biomethane production was increased 35.88% and 47.33%, respectively, which was due to the destruction of the hard structure of the OFMSW. However, due to the production of the inhibitors, such as phenol and furfural, in the HTC process, the biomethane production of hydrochar-230 declined by 29%. The effect of the hydrothermal carbonization on AD under the optimum condition included an increase in biomethane production and a reduction in the retention time in biomethane production.