Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Team converts wet biological waste to diesel-compatible fuel

Study first author Wan-Ting (Grace) Chen is now a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

Study first author Wan-Ting (Grace) Chen is now a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a step toward producing renewable engine fuels that are compatible with existing diesel fuel infrastructure, researchers report they can convert wet biowaste, such as swine manure and food scraps, into a fuel that can be blended with diesel and that shares diesel’s combustion efficiency and emissions profile.

The researchers report the findings in the journal Nature Sustainability.

“The demonstration that fuels produced from wet waste can be used in engines is a huge step forward for the development of sustainable liquid fuels,” said Brajendra K. Sharma, a research scientist with the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center at the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute and a co-author of the study. U. of I. agricultural and biological engineering professor Yuanhui Zhang led the research. His former graduate student Wan-Ting (Grace) Chen is the first author of the paper and a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.  Mechanical science and engineering professor Chia-Fon Lee and graduate student Timothy Lee led the engine tests.

“The United States annually produces 79 million dry tons of wet biowaste from food processing and animal production,” with more expected as urbanization increases, the researchers wrote. One of the biggest hurdles to extracting energy from this waste is its water content. Drying it requires almost as much energy as can be extracted from it.

Hydrothermal liquification is a potential solution to this problem because it uses water as the reaction medium and converts even nonlipid (nonfatty) biowaste components into biocrude oil that can be further processed into engine fuels, the researchers report.

Mechanical science and engineering graduate student Timothy Lee holds a sample of waste and a sample of distillate the team derived from that waste.

Photo by L. Brian Stauffer

Delete

Edit embedded media in the Files Tab and re-insert as needed.

Previous studies have stumbled in trying to distill the biocrude generated through HTL into stable, usable fuels, however. For the new research, the team combined distillation with a process called esterification to convert the most promising fractions of distilled biocrude into a liquid fuel that can be blended with diesel. The fuel meets current standards and specifications for diesel fuel.

“Our group developed pilot-scale HTL reactors to produce the biocrude oil for upgrading,” Chen said. “We also were able to separate the distillable fractions from the biocrude oil. Using 10-20 percent upgraded distillates blended with diesel, we saw a 96-100 percent power output and similar pollutant emissions to regular diesel.”

Led by Zhang, the team is building a pilot-scale reactor that can be mounted on a mobile trailer and “has the capacity to process one ton of biowaste and produce 30 gallons of biocrude oil per day,” Zhang said. “This capacity will allow the team to conduct further research and provide key parameters for commercial-scale application.”

The Illinois Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment provided seed funding for this research as part of its Campus as a Living Laboratory program. The project also received funding from the U. of I. Student Sustainability Committee.

Editor’s notes:

For more information about the study, contact corresponding author Yuanhui Zhang: call 217-333-2693; email yzhang1@illinois.edu.

The paper “Renewable diesel blendstocks produced by hydrothermal liquefaction of wet biowaste” is available online and from the U. of I. News Bureau.

DOI: 10.1038/s41893-018-0172-3

 

Read Next

Humanities Diptych image with book cover of "The New Internationals" and a headshot of English professor David Wright Faladé

English professor’s novel tells of love triangle in post-WWII Paris, based on his family history

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new novel by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign English professor David Wright Faladé tells the story of three people in a love triangle in post-World War II Paris. The characters in “The New Internationals” — a young French woman who has survived the Holocaust, a university student from West Africa and a […]

Life sciences Portrait of the research team posing together.

Minecraft players can now explore whole cells and their contents

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have translated nanoscale experimental and computational data into precise 3D representations of bacteria, yeast and human epithelial, breast and breast cancer cells in Minecraft, a video game that allows players to explore, build and manipulate structures in three dimensions. The innovation will allow researchers and students of all ages to navigate […]

Arts Photo of seven dancers onstage wearing blue tops and orange or yellow flowing skirts. The backdrop is a Persian design.

February Dance includes works experimenting with live music, technology and a ‘sneaker ballet’

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will present February Dance 2025: Fast Forward this week at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. February Dance will be one of the first performances in the newly renovated Colwell Playhouse Theatre since its reopening. The performances are Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Dance professor […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010