Experimental Study on Gasification of Anaerobic Digestion Solid Residue Derived from Municipal Solid Waste: Effects of Temperature, Moisture Content and Gasifying Agent

In this work, gasification is used to harvest the energy remained in the solid residue produced from the anaerobic digester in treating municipal solid waste (lignocellulosic biomass waste and dewatered sewage sludge) due to its limited biodegradability. Compared with conventional disposal route of AD (Anaerobic Digestion) solid residue, such as incineration, gasification is more environmentally friendly with fewer pollutant emissions and the synthesis gas produced in this process can be directly utilized in gas engines or turbines to generate electricity or be upgraded to transportation fuels through some chemical process. The effects of operating parameters of a fixed bed reactor, like temperature and gasifying agent, and the property of feedstock, like moisture content, on the gasification performance have been experimentally studied. Both energy indicator, like CGE (Cold Gas Efficiency) and environmental pollutant indicator, like NOx emission and heavy metals concentration, are used to evaluate the gasification process. In conclusion, feasibility of gasification of AD solid residue is justified and optimized operating conditions are found based on both energy and environmental performance.