Abstract
Problem statement: Environmental problems associated with animal waste are the most critical challenges faced by the US intensive confi nement livestock industries. There is an import an d urgent need to develop an efficient way to reduce t he pollution of animal waste while extracting valuable energy. Supercritical liquefaction process ing of swine manure into a liquid fuel was considered as a cost-effective approach for reducin g animal waste in swine farms while simultaneously increasing the farmer's income. Approach: Swine manure was converted to bio-oils by using et hanol as a solvent in an autoclave in the reaction temper ature range of 240-360°C without any catalyst. The effect of reaction temperatures on the bio-oil yiel d and properties was investigated. The oil product was evaluated by Fourier Transform Infrared spectro scopy (FTIR), elemental analyses, heating values, water content analyses, ash content and solids cont ent. Results: The experimental results show that the yield of the liquefaction products was significantl y influenced by the reaction temperature. The maximum oil yield of 26.7% (of dry matter) with low content of oxygen (11.48%) and heating value of 33.98 MJ kg -1 was obtained at reaction temperature of 300°C. A l ow content of carbonyl and aliphatic groups and a high aromaticity in the bio-oil were f ound in the bio-oils from high temperature as determined by FTIR. The elemental composition of the bio-oil samples changes with reaction temperature. However, no particular trends in the elemental composition were found within the range of reaction temperature used. Conclusion: This research proved that supercritical ethanol li quefaction was an effective way to remove oxygen and utilize c arbon and hydrogen in swine manure to produce energy condensed bio-fuel. Further work is needed t o optimize the bio-oil production process in terms of oil yield and oil quality.
Highlights
Environmental problems associated with animal waste are one of the most critical challenges facing the livestock industry in US
Swine manure was liquefied in supercritical ethanol at reaction temperatures from 240-360°C
The elemental composition of oil from swine manure was strongly affected by the reaction temperature
Summary
Environmental problems associated with animal waste are one of the most critical challenges facing the livestock industry in US. An increase in swine production in recent decades has resulted in greater amounts of swine waste and associated problems with treatment. Liquid and solid animal waste generates considerable gas and odor, harbors diseases and contributes to environmental problems. Because both animal confinement facilities and urban areas are growing in size, these effects are becoming more concentrated, with the result that millions of dollars are spent on storage, transport and treatment of these wastes. Environmental concerns and public reactions over the intensive livestock production facilities have led some state legislatures to pass new regulations on manure management. New technically and environmentally sound technologies are highly desirable, for the sustainability of livestock industry, and for environmental protection
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