Hydrothermal

carbonization of cow
manure
Presented by Chuck Coronella, Ph.D., P.E.
With coauthors:
M. Toufiq, Reza, Sage Hiibel, Hongfei Lin, Mi Lu,
Tianlin Song, of the University of Nevada, Reno
Alireza Shekarriz of Hydrotorr, LLC
ICOSSE, 28 May 2015, Balatonfred, Hungary

University of Nevada, Reno

UNR has ~ 20,000 students

Comprehensive university- wide range of academic
disciplines

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

Traditional practices of manure

management need updating for
contemporary dairies

Sustainable practices suitable for large, modern

dairies are needed
Average dairy has herd of 100 cows (up from 20 in
1970)
Numerous dairies have > 1000 cows
Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

Beneficial uses of manure

Cow pies have been used for fuel for centuries
Intrinsic fuel value

Macronutrients (especially nitrogen and

phosphorous)
Valuable fertilizer (when applied in the right
quantities)

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

The challenge:
Modern dairies produce a lot of manure (up to 50
kg per cow per day)
More than 20 million ton/year (dry basis) in the U.S.
Moisture > 90%

Traditional methods of spreading on fields

Large amounts must be spread over large distanceshigh costs
Over application Eutrophication

Nutrient management is a headache for many

dairymen
Associated regulatory and compliance issues
Lagoon management is especially unwelcome
Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

Our approach: Hydrothermal

carbonization
Fuel

Manure

Nutrients

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

Hydrothermal conditions
Properties of liquid water:

Biomass undergoes chemical

reactions:
Hydrolysis
Decarboxylation
Dehydration
Deammination
etc.

Figure taken from Peterson et al. Energy Environ. Sci., 2008, 1, 3265

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

Hydrothermal carbonization
CO2

Heat
Water, solubles

Dairy manure
and water

High pressure
reactor
Carbonized fuel (for
power generation or
carbon sequestration)

Reaction conditions:
180 280 C
P > Psat (10 64 bar)
Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

Manure products

Dried manure

+
Solid hydrochar

Water and soluble

chemicals

Very hydrophobic
Solid fuel for on-farm
power generation
Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

Experimental methods
T is between 180 and 260 C
Reaction time 5 or 30 min
Biomass : water = 1:5

100 mL Parr reactor

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

10

Yield of solid char (dry basis)

100%

75%

180 C
220 C
260 C

50%

25%

0%
0

Chuck Coronella

10

20
Time (min)

30

40

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

11

Elemental analysis of chars

100%
80%
60%

S
N
O
H
C

40%
20%
0%

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

12

2.00

1.50

Atomic H:C ratio

Raw manure

Biomass

HTC-180-5
HTC-220-5
HTC-260-5
HTC-180-30

Peat

1.00

HTC-220-30

Lignite

HTC-260-30

Coal

Dehydration
Decarboxylation
Demethylation

0.50

Anthracite

0.00
0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

Atomic O:C ratio

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

13

Proximate analysis of char

100%

HHV
25.0

75%
50%
25%

Ash

0%

MJ/kg

Fixed
Carbon
Volatiles

22.5
20.0
17.5
15.0

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

14

g Carbon per100 g manure

Carbon partitioning
50
40
30
Gas
Liquid
Solid

20
10
0

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

15

Nitrogen distribution
7.0

Solid
Liquid

1.5

NH4+

6.0

pH

1.0

6.5

5.5

pH

g Nitrogen per 100 g manure

2.0

5.0

0.5

4.5
4.0

0.0
150

200

250

300

HTC reaction temperature (C)

5 minute reaction time

Raw manure has 2.3 g Nitrogen per 100 g
Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

16

Macronutrients in hydrochar
g per 100 g manure

0.80
0.60
0.40
P
K

0.20
0.00

Potassium is very soluble in water;

Phosphorous seems to be absorbed into the char matrix
with time
Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

17

30

20
180 C
220 C
260 C

10

0
0

20
Time (min)

40

g ash in char per 100 g manure

Ash content of hydrochar (%)

Ash in char
20
15
10
180 C
220 C
260 C

5
0
0

20
Time (min)

40

Ash content of manure is 16.4%

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

18

Aqueous product characterization

Detailed analysis is underway
Simple sugars, simple organic acids, and furfurals
are significant

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

19

Remaining steps
Optimize conditions for nutrient capture
Couple with membrane distillation
Demonstrate gasification of hydrochar pellets
Life cycle analysis
Construction of a continuous reactor
Nominal capacity of 5 gal/h ~ 0.3 lpm
Design complete, fabrication is taking place now
Initial hot experiments expected around July 1
Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

20

Other markets:
Municipal solid waste
Wastewater sludge biosolids
Food wastes
Green wastes

Other high-moisture wastes

Corn ethanol wastes, food processing, etc.

Microalgae processing

Chuck Coronella

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

21

Acknowledgements
Collaborators at UNR:
Chemical engineering:
Dr. Toufiq Reza, Dr.
Hongfei Lin, Mi Lu, Tianlin
Song
CEE: Dr. Sage Hiibel
Cooperative extension: Jay
Davison
Undergraduate students:
Sean Sullivan, Akbar Saba,
Jasmine Miller, Keenan
Conrad-Williams

Chuck Coronella

Hydrotorr, LLC:
Dr. Alireza Shekarriz
Desert Research Institute:
S. Kent Hoekman, Curt
Robbins, Vivian Liu
APL, Bear Kaufmann
Financial support from the
USDA through the
Western Sun Grant
Initiative, grant number
2010-38502-21839

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Cow Manure

22