Design and operation of an inexpensive, laboratory-scale, continuous hydrothermal liquefaction reactor for the conversion of microalgae produced during wastewater treatment

Recently, much research has been published on the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of microalgae to form bio-crude, which can be further upgraded into sustainable 3rd generation biofuels. However, most of these studies have been conducted in batch reactors, which are not fully applicable to large-scale industrial production. In this investigation an inexpensive laboratory scale continuous flow system was designed and tested for the liquefaction of microalgae produced during wastewater treatment. The system was operated at a range of temperatures (300 °C – 340 °C) and flow rates (3 – 7 ml min-1), with the feed being delivered using high pressure N2 rather than a mechanical pump. The design incorporated the in-situ collection of solids through a double tube design. The algae was processed at 5 wt% and the results were compared to those from a batch reactor operated at equivalent conditions. By combining high heating rates with extended reaction times, the continuous system was able to yield significantly enhanced bio-crude yields compared to the batch system. This demonstrates the need for inexpensive continuous processing in the lab, to aid in scale up decision making.

Cite this dataset as:
Chuck, C., 2017. Design and operation of an inexpensive, laboratory-scale, continuous hydrothermal liquefaction reactor for the conversion of microalgae produced during wastewater treatment. Bath: University of Bath Research Data Archive. Available from: https://doi.org/10.15125/BATH-00304.

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Data

Reaction_data_summary.xlsx
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet (123kB)

Creators

Chris Chuck
University of Bath

Contributors

University of Bath
Rights Holder

Documentation

Data collection method:

All methods are given in the experimental section of the full publication. Each seperate reaction has been assigned a code. cHTL for continuous processing, Bx for batch processing. cHTL1-9 were used to determine the stability of the temperature of the reactor system so full data for each run was not collected.

Methodology link:

Wagner, J., Le, C., Ting, V., and Chuck, C., 2017. Design and operation of an inexpensive, laboratory-scale, continuous hydrothermal liquefaction reactor for the conversion of microalgae produced during wastewater treatment. Fuel Processing Technology, 165, 102-111. Available from: https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/design-and-operation-of-an-inexpensive-laboratory-scale-continuou.

Funders

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000266

Doctoral Training Centre in Sustainable Chemical Technologies
EP/G03768X/1

Royal Academy of Engineering
https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000287

Newton Research Collaboration Programme - Remediation and Valorisation of Vietnamese Industrial Waste
NRCP/1415/176

Publication details

Publication date: 1 May 2017
by: University of Bath

Version: 1

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15125/BATH-00304

URL for this record: https://researchdata.bath.ac.uk/id/eprint/304

Related papers and books

Wagner, J. L., Le, C. D., Ting, V. P., and Chuck, C. J., 2017. Design and operation of an inexpensive, laboratory-scale, continuous hydrothermal liquefaction reactor for the conversion of microalgae produced during wastewater treatment. Fuel Processing Technology, 165, 102-111. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2017.05.006.

Contact information

Please contact the Research Data Service in the first instance for all matters concerning this item.

Contact person: Chris Chuck

Departments:

Faculty of Engineering & Design
Chemical Engineering