On Wednesday, July 7, Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) reported that its research team had proposed a new method of using ballast water. The new solution lies in utilising the water released during the pyrolysis of wood waste as a liquid-phase component of water-coal fuel. As TPU's Press Office informs, the technology increases the fuel's calorific value by 2.1 MJ/kg, meaning a boost in energy output by 25%. In addition, it improves the fuel's reactivity and reduces the formation of undesirable nitrogen oxides in gas-phase combustion products. The scientists assure their development will help recycle industrial wood residues properly, too.
The release of ballast water is part of the process to obtain pyrolysis oil. It is produced together with wood semi-coke and combustible gas during the pyrolysis of wood, which is the thermal decomposition of wood waste in an anoxic environment.
"This oil contains ballast water, which significantly reduces its calorific value. So we have to remove the water, yet we can't dispose of it by simple means for environmental reasons. On the other hand, it contains hydrocarbons, and there is a way of using it as a source of raw material," said Kirill Larionov, associate professor at TPU's Butakov Research Center.
TPU has worked together with its industrial partner Sibirskiy Biougol, an R&D enterprise making coal briquettes from wood residues, to ensure this development sees the light of day.
Let us recall that KuzSTU's researchers have come up with a brand new technology. It allows for capturing coal-mine methane and converting it into a valuable protein feed for livestock farms.
