| Project Name: | Reducing NZ’s primary industry’s carbon footprint through advanced waste-to-renewables technologies |
|---|---|
| BPA Number: | 23204 |
| Funding Round: | FY24 |
| Report(s): | 1. Prototype Development – Baseline 2. Prototype Development – Finding the delta 3. Prototype Development – Optimisation 4. Manure Methane Emissions 5. Feedstock 6. Bioreactor feedstock hubs in Waikato region Techno-economic model based on farm system-specific scenarios |
| For enquiries contact: | Carla Cronje |
| Phone: | +64 7 343 5374 |
| Email: | Carla.cronje@scionresearch.com |
Summary of Project and Key Findings:
The project focused on understanding how hydrothermal oxidation (HTO) performance could be optimised when treating lignocellulosic-rich waste streams. Specifically, the work examined the impact of different operating conditions (temperature, pressure, oxygen quantities, mixing, different feed sources, and solid content) on a laboratory-scale, which could help inform the design and operation of an HTO prototype. Different conditions were identified to optimise the product characteristics. The HTO prototype was successfully run with a lignocellulosic-rich waste stream, and similar results with the laboratory scale experiments were observed. This gave confidence in the research done on laboratory scale, which helps inform design of a pilot scale.
Identifying where lignocellulosic-rich waste streams are located in New Zealand is crucial for implementing HTO technology. A heat map was developed for the Waikato region to visualise these waste streams. We also gained insights into estimation of biogas production potentials. One key aspect is understanding the techno-economics of deploying the HTO technology. A study was conducted to compare the HTO technology, integrated with an anaerobic digestion plant, to the current effluent pond method. This study determined the scale at which HTO technology becomes more economically favourable
The key findings included:
- Optimum process conditions for different process parameters.
- Methods to mimic prototype scale HTO with laboratory-scale equipment.
- Understanding of how product output characteristics change with different HTO treatment severities.
- Identifying the most promising locations where the technology can be effectively implemented, considering availability of biogas feedstock
- Determining the scale of deployment required to make the HTO technology favourable.
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