Pilot Plant Trials Research Articles

Enhanced SO2 and CO2 synergistic capture with reduced NH3 emissions using multi-stage solvent circulation process

NH3-based SO2 and CO2 synergistic capture technology shows promise in reducing the costs associated with current flue gas desulfurization and CO2 capture systems. However, it faces challenges such as NH3 slip and high energy consumption. In this study, we proposed an advanced Multi-Stage Solvent Circulation (MSC) process that incorporates a desulfurization-washing solution circulation, which involved partitioned absorption according to different functions of SO2 capture, CO2 capture, and NH3 emission control. The experimental results demonstrated that using desulfurization solution in place of water for washing reduced the NH3 emissions from the absorber and desorber by 10.6 % and 7.9 %, respectively. Additionally, the recovered NH3 enhanced SO2 capture, resulting in a 61.8 % decrease in SO2 emission concentration. A pilot-plant trial model for SO2 and CO2 synergistic capture was further developed using Aspen Plus. The impact of operational time and parameters on capture efficiency and energy consumption were analyzed. Under typical flue gas conditions, the process achieved SO2 capture efficiency of > 99 %, regeneration energy consumption of 2.42 GJ/t CO2, NH3 emissions of < 5 ppm. This study presents a novel approach for designing a SO2 and CO2 synergistic capture system, which has the potential to facilitate the economic and effective implementation of post-combustion flue gas pollutant control management and carbon emission reduction.

Industrial-Level Brewing Using Oenological Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe as Mixed-Inoculum

The development of new food processes and formulations begins at the laboratory stage, progresses through pilot plant trials, and culminates in industrial production. Although the positive effects in terms of sensory characteristics and qualitative differentiation have been widely studied at laboratory level, fermentations conducted at the industrial level by oenological Saccharomyces cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces strains have not been thoroughly investigated. Scaling up to the industrial level is a critical process that involves more than simply increasing the dimensions of the process itself. The purpose of our research was to compare laboratory and industrial-level brewing of a novel craft beer produced with the addition of common unmalted wheat and fermented by Schizosaccharomyces pombe and S. cerevisiae strains. Fermentation was carried out using a S. cerevisiae strain either of oenological origin alone or through sequential inoculations with S. pombe. Beers produced with the mixed starter showed greater reproducibility between the two production levels than those fermented by S. cerevisiae alone. According to the results, the main differences highlighted between laboratory and industrial-level trials with S. cerevisiae alone concerned the extent of starch degradation, fermentation efficiency, and alcohol production, which were higher in brewing at the laboratory level. In contrast, beers produced at industrial level using sequential inoculation received significantly higher scores for foam quantity and persistence, as well as overall olfactory intensity, while scoring significantly lower scores for saltiness and sourness. To our knowledge, this research is the first to explore the use of Sc. pombe for industrial beer production.

Predictive analysis of methane-enhanced conversion of organic waste into sustainable fuel: A machine learning approach

Currently, methane-assisted biomass-to-fuel (M-BtF) processes are being introduced, which are of considerable importance due to the production of an environmentally friendly fuel. Due to the lower price, natural gas can address a stronger potential compared to hydrogen and nitrogen under pyrolysis and bio-oil upgrading processes. Based on this, it seems vital to evaluate such a clean fuel production process from the standpoints of the life cycle analysis (LCA) and techno-economic assessment to exhibit the economic feasibility and environmental superiority. This article aims to utilize machine learning (ML) to predict the yield of organic solid waste, evaluate its economic feasibility, and investigate the environmental sustainability of the valorization of a methane-assisted organic solid waste process. The study employs an artificial neural network (ANN) model with a semi-automatic tuning procedure to forecast the yield of bio-oil, based on biomass characterization. This approach eliminates the need for pilot plant trials for new types of biomass to determine process yields before industrial scale-up. The ANN model demonstrated a high prediction accuracy, achieving an R2 (coefficient of determination) value higher than 0.82. The simulation results, derived from the ML predictions, were then employed in the techno-economic analysis and LCA, where they were compared with other commercial processes for economic viability and environmental impact assessments. The minimum selling price for the renewable diesel was calculated as 3.45 US$/gallon, which is notably competitive, being around 26 % lower than the average minimum selling price observed in relevant publications. Based on Monte Carlo simulation, the plant's internal rate of return (IRR) remained above 50 % across various discount rates, suggesting a highly profitable investment. From LCA results, the proposed method was found to emit ∼ 67 % less greenhouse gases (GHG) compared to standard commercial processes. Overall, the study showcases how the integration of machine learning into process simulation can lead to both economically and environmentally beneficial outcomes, particularly in the context of renewable energy production.

Spiral-wound organic solvent membrane modules for dewaxing solvent recovery

The petrochemical industry is typically energy-intensive, involving frequent and intricate separation processes. SINOPEC is a globally recognized lubricant manufacturer and distributor, with a substantial production capacity exceeding 1.7 million tonnes in 2022. The dewaxing solvent recovery process in lubricant production necessitates a multi-stage flash and distillation treatment, resulting in substantial energy consumption and high costs. Utilizing organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) membranes offers a feasible alternative approach to address this issue. A series of thin film composite OSN membranes with varying molecule weight cut-offs were prepared through precise adjustment of the chemical composition and proportion of the organic co-monomers. The application potential of the optimized membranes in the lubricant dewaxing solvent recovery was evaluated using lubricant base oil derived from the actual production line, specifically light deasphalted oil and vacuum cut2. The membrane exhibited a rejection of 99.3 % for light deasphalted oil and 95.6 % for vacuum cut2, with corresponding fluxes of 16.8 and 13.4 LMH under 2 MPa, respectively. Based on this, spiral-wound membrane modules (1.8″ × 12″) were fabricated and their suitability for dewaxing solvent recovery was further validated. The fabrication of spiral-wound membrane modules (8″ × 40″) is in progress, with intentions to conduct a pilot plant trial on the lubricant oil manufacturing line.

HIsarna Process Simulation Model: Using FactSage with Macro Facility

The HIsarna process is one of the emerging technologies for reducing the carbon footprint of the ironmaking process, which is currently in the pilot plant stage. A kinetic HIsarna process simulation model based on the effective equilibrium reaction zone concept has been developed using the FactSage macro programming facility to advance understanding of the whole process. In the model, the HIsarna process is conceptually divided into various equilibrium zones involving combustion, coal pyrolysis and gasification, gas/slag/carbon reactions, and slag/metal reaction. The model has been validated through the pilot plant data, and the results are in good agreement with the quantity and composition of hot metal, slag, and gas. The HIsarna off-gas stream with high CO2 content can potentially allow capture and storage directly for carbon mitigation. The utilization of titanium magnetite ore in the HIsarna process has also been investigated via the developed model. The injection of titanium magnetite ore which has high FeO content decreases coal consumption. Still, it increases the slag volume as higher gangue content when keeping the same productivity as the pilot plant trial. The HIsarna process shows promising potential in using low-quality high titania iron ore as feed materials, but the slag system needs to be further optimized. From the heat distribution, the off-gas sensible heat accounts for a large part of the input heat due to its high temperature but can be recovered with good efficiency. The present model is an efficient tool for understanding the HIsarna process and providing theoretical guidance for future pilot research.

Investigation of breakage behavior and its effects on spray-dried agglomerated whey protein-lactose powders: Effect of protein and lactose contents.

Particle breakage of dairy powders occurs easily during many processes, reducing the powder functionality. The characteristics of particles and the applied stress from processing conditions on the particles are 2 main factors that can be manipulated to reduce breakage. In this study, we explored the effect of whey protein and lactose contents on dynamic breakage in agglomerated whey protein-lactose powders to provide useful information, in terms of particle characteristics, for controlling unwanted dairy powder breakage. A series of model agglomerates with different whey protein:lactose ratios were produced under the same spray-drying conditions, through a pilot plant trial. We evaluated physical characteristics, composition, and structure of samples; analyzed dynamic breakage under different mechanical stresses; and investigated the rehydration and water adsorption properties of model powders before and after breakage. The particle size and irregularity of agglomerates with more lactose was significantly higher than of samples that contained more protein. This resulted in higher particle breakage during dynamic breakage for samples with more lactose. The breakage of agglomerates was affected by the moisture content of powders and fatigue, where particle breakage happens when mechanical loads, lower than the strength of particles, occur multiple times. Breakage changed the morphology and surface composition of particles and decreased particle size. It also decreased the dispersibility of powders and increased the wetting time of wettable samples but decreased the wetting time of powders with poor wettability. Breakage accelerated time-dependent crystallization and decreased the crystallization temperature but did not affect the glass transition temperature of samples. Thus, under the same drying conditions, composition of powders significantly affected breakage, mainly by altering the physical properties of their particles, which resulted in deteriorated functionality.

Pilot-scale outdoor trial of a cyanobacterial consortium at pH 11 in a photobioreactor at high latitude

The biomass of microalgae and cyanobacteria yields a variety of products. Outdoor pilot plant trials typically grow a single species at circumneutral pH and provide CO2 by gas sparging. Here a cyanobacterial consortium was grown at high pH (beyond 11) and high dissolved carbonate concentrations (0.5 M) in an outdoor 1,150 L tubular photobioreactor for 130 days in Calgary, Canada. The aim was to assess the productivity and robustness of the consortium. Importantly, the system was designed to enable future integration of air capture of CO2. Productivity was between 3.1 and 5.8 g ash-free dry weight per square metre per day, depending on biomass density and month. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing showed that cyanobacterium Candidatus “Phormidium alkaliphilum” made up 80% of the consortium. The consortium displayed robust growth and adapted to environmental conditions. Bicarbonate uptake pushed medium pH past 11, demonstrating the ability to achieve CO2 delivery by air capture.

Recycling of aluminium laminated pouches and Tetra Pak cartons by molten metal pyrolysis – Pilot-scale experiments and economic analysis

Aluminium laminated (AL) pouch packages and aluminium laminated Tetra-Pak cartons are considered unrecyclable, reducing their otherwise excellent lifecycle performance. This paper describes experimental results on pilot plant trials to recycle AL packages with a molten metal pyrolysis reactor. The experimental evidence shows that both package formats can be recycled and that clean aluminium can be recovered. However, the recovered aluminium from Al pouches may require mechanical cleaning as the consumer's information is printed onto the aluminium, leaving a carbon residue on the recovered aluminium. On the other hand, over 90% of the polypropylene plastic layer on the AL packaging pyrolysed into waxes, pointing to excellent kinetics. Moreover, an economic analysis of a 4,000 t/y commercial-scale plant demonstrates that a molten metal AL recycling plant is economically viable, achieving an internal rate of return (IRR) of over 20%.

Support for food innovation

Support for food innovation

Liquid Hot Water Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass at Lab and Pilot Scale

Liquid hot water pretreatment is considered to be a promising method for increasing biomass digestibility due to the moderate operational conditions without chemical additions. A necessary step towards the scalability of this pretreatment process is performing pilot plant trials. Upscaling was evaluated with a scaling factor of 500, by using 50 mL in the laboratory and 25 L in a pilot plant batch reactor. Pretreatment times were varied from 30 to 240 min, and temperatures used were 180–188 °C, while applying similar heating profiles at both scales. The initial mass fraction of poplar wood chips ranged from 10% to 16%. Liquid hot water pretreatment at laboratory and pilot scale led to analogous results. The acetic acid analysis of the liquid and solid fractions obtained after pretreatment indicated that complete deacetylation of poplar biomass can be achieved.

Adjustment of Olive Fruit Temperature before Grinding for Olive Oil Extraction. Experimental Study and Pilot Plant Trials

Harvesting at high temperatures and bulk transport can negatively influence the quality of olives and lead to undesirable alterations in the extracted oil. Cooling the fruit in the field would be the most logical solution, but it means that the olives arrive too cold at the mill for immediate processing. In this work, the use of warm water in the washing tub to warm up the fruit before grinding instead of flash heat treatment on the paste was assessed in two experiments. In the first one, at the laboratory level, the temperature after milling was determined in three olive cultivars, previously stored at 5 or 10 °C, and then submerged at different water temperatures (25, 30, and 35 °C) for 15, 30, 45, and 60 s. In the second one, two batches of olives were cooled in the field at 5 °C and then conditioned with washing water to obtain a paste at the entrance of the pilot plant malaxer at 27 °C. The temperature of the olives was measured at five points from the discharging up to their entering, as paste, into the malaxer. The results demonstrated the feasibility of the method as the temperature of the ground olives was kept at the desired temperature (28 ± 1 °C). The trials highlight the potential for automating an even more precise adjustment of the temperature of the olives before milling once the washing tub is equipped with a safe heating system.

Analysing organic micropollutant accumulation in closed loop FO–RO systems: A pilot plant study

Long-term operation of a forward osmosis – reverse osmosis (FO–RO) closed loop pilot plant is presented. The system was fed with a single batch of clean tap water into which organic micropollutants were spiked; RO permeate was recirculated to the FO feed. The system was operated in two different runs, with NaCl and MgCl2 as draw solutes. Over the course of the pilot plant trials, the organic micropollutants migrated into the draw solution closed-loop, reaching an equilibrium with the FO feed. This implies that there was strong accumulation of the organic micropollutants in the draw solution, up to a factor of 50 relative to the FO feed. FO rejection was variable between 55 and 91% for the different micropollutants, while RO rejection was high in all cases: in excess of 99% for all but one organic micropollutant. The extent of micropollutant accumulation in the draw solution was related to high RO selectivity and internal concentration polarization within the FO membrane’s support layer. In turn, FO permeability and the extent of accumulation were found to correlate negatively: well-rejected compounds accumulated slower in the draw solution loop, but to a higher extent. The FO membrane’s structural parameter, as obtained from clean water flux tests using mineral salt draw solutes, was a poor predictor of organic micropollutant internal concentration polarization.

Dewatering Green Sapwood Using Carbon Dioxide Undergoing Cyclical Phase Change between Supercritical Fluid and Gas.

Conventional kiln drying of wood operates by the evaporation of water at elevated temperature. In the initial stage of drying, mobile water in the wood cell lumen evaporates. More slowly, water bound in the wood cell walls evaporates, requiring the breaking of hydrogen bonds between water molecules and cellulose and hemicellulose polymers in the cell wall. An alternative for wood kiln drying is a patented process for green wood dewatering through the molecular interaction of supercritical carbon dioxide with water of wood cell sap. When the system pressure is reduced to below the critical point, phase change from supercritical fluid to gas occurs with a consequent large change in CO2 volume. This results in the efficient, rapid, mechanical expulsion of liquid sap from wood. The end-point of this cyclical phase-change process is wood dewatered to the cell wall fibre saturation point. This paper describes dewatering over a range of green wood specimen sizes, from laboratory physical chemistry studies to pilot-plant trials. Magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were applied to study the fundamental mechanisms of the process, which were contrasted with similar studies of conventional thermal wood drying. In conclusion, opportunities and impediments towards the commercialisation of the green wood dewatering process are discussed.

Design and Operation of a Scaled-up Pilot Plant for the Removal of Sugar Beet Extract Colorants using Powdered Activated Carbon

A pilot-scale filtration unit has been modified and operated at the Southern Regional Research Center of the US Department of Agriculture for scaled-up trials to test the efficacy of powdered activated carbon in the removal of color impurities from sugar beet extract (SBE). As a by-product of sugar beet processing, additional sucrose can be recovered from high color SBE by recycling it from the chromatography system back into the crystallization unit. Large amounts of color compounds can make this process unfeasible. Color and other impurities can be reduced prior to further processing into white refined sugar, by application of high surface area powdered activated carbon (PAC). Pilot-plant trials were undertaken to determine the feasibility of using PAC to adsorb both natural and process-induced colorants from SBE. Experiments were performed using a batch decolorization process to maximize color removal and determine optimal PAC distribution as either body feed or filter pre-coat. With initial colors at 4275 ± 114, 4256 ± 223 and 4774 ± 157 ICU for color measured at pH 4, 7 and 9, respectively, a target of 50% color removal was achieved using 4000 ppm on volume of PAC, with a recommended distribution of 75% as pre-coat in the filter and 25% as body feed in the feed tank. A 50/50 PAC distribution also reached the target color removal rate. A “merry-go-round” experiment was undertaken to simulate a semi-continuous process to achieve continuous color removal over time. Overall, PAC performance was slightly better for the removal of native sugar beet colorants than colorants produced during processing. Addition of PAC did not lead to significant sucrose losses nor affected the pH of beet extract.

Analysis of ductile fractures at the surface of continuous casting steel during hot-core heavy reduction rolling

Abstract Hot-core heavy reduction rolling (HHR2) is an innovative thermomechanical technology whereby steel castings are directly rolled and heavily reduced at the solidification endpoint. HHR2 can effectively eliminate shrinkage porosities without the risk of internal cracking, as the centre deformation temperature has avoided the solidification brittleness temperature range. However, the risk of surface cracks is especially concerning because the lower surface temperature is associated with increased brittleness as compared to the centre. In this study, the EH47 was selected as the research material, which was a crack-sensitive steel with microalloy element Nb. Finite element model (FEM) analysis was used to predict surface ductile fracturing during HHR2. Hot compression tests were performed on specially designed specimens to develop the ductile fracture criterion for the FEM simulation. Pilot plant trials of HHR2 were carried out to verify the accuracy of the FEM calculations. The FEM results revealed that the centreline of a steel casting lateral face was the position where a fracture was most likely to take place. Moreover, the cracking risk itself rises with an increase in the reduction ratio, and the critical reduction ratio was about 59 %. The investigation also revealed that the cracking risk reduced with an increase in the work roll diameter.

Processing of metallic bismuth for the production of bismuth compounds

ABSTRACT The hydrolytic processing of bismuth-containing nitrate solutions resulting in the production of high purity basic bismuth nitrate and carbonate, bismuth nitrate and bismuth oxide was studied. The developed technology is based on the oxidation of metallic bismuth followed by the dissolution of the obtained technical bismuth oxide in nitric acid and its purification from metal impurities by hydrolysis of Bi(NO3)3 in aqueous solution under alkaline conditions or with excess water to produce basic bismuth nitrate. The pilot-plant trials confirmed the viability of the developed technology.

Membrane gas-solvent contactor pilot plant trials for post-combustion CO2 capture

Membrane gas-solvent contactors are a hybrid technology of solvent absorption with membrane separation that achieves efficient and compact carbon dioxide capture. Here, we report on a successful pilot plant trial of membrane contactor technology undertaking post-combustion carbon dioxide capture from flue gas generated by an Australian black coal fired power station. The pilot plant utilised membrane contactors to undertake CO2 absorption into 30 wt% monoethanolamine (MEA) and the subsequent solvent regeneration stage to produce a pure CO2 product. The pilot plant trials identified a commercially available non-porous poly dimethylsiloxane composite hollow fiber membrane as the most suitable for both CO2 absorption and solvent regeneration. The overall mass transfer coefficient for CO2 absorption across the membrane into the solvent was comparable to laboratory results, enabling a recovery of >90% CO2 from the flue gas. Over time the mass transfer coefficient decreased because of both solvent dilution and some MEA loss, which reduced the enhancement the reaction provides to mass transfer in the solvent boundary layer. The overall mass transfer of CO2 from the solvent into the steam sweep during solvent regeneration was greater than that observed in the laboratory for the same temperature. The energy demand of the pilot plant was higher than for conventional CO2 capture technology, given the pilot nature of the process, lack of energy integration and thermal losses from uninsulated membrane modules. Accounting for these factors, the energy duty of the membrane contactor process was evaluated to be less than 4.2 MJ/kg of CO2 captured. Critically, the pilot plant demonstrated the viability of membrane contactor technology for post-combustion carbon capture on an industrial scale.

Towards enhanced chlorine control: Mathematical modeling for free chlorine kinetics during fresh-cut carrot, cabbage and lettuce washing

Abstract In this study, we developed a novel produce-specific mechanistic model to predict free chlorine (FC) dynamics during washing of disk-cut carrots, cut cabbage, and cut iceberg lettuce, in 3 L and 50–100 L tanks, and of shredded iceberg lettuce in 3200 L pilot-plant trials. Ranges for two key parameters: β (L mg−1 min−1) the apparent reaction rate constant of FC with produce constituents, and γ , the fraction of the increase of chemical oxygen demand (COD) contributing to the reaction, were determined at the 3 L scale. For disk carrots β ∈ [ 0.05 , 0.09 ] and γ ∈ [ 0.054 , 0.078 ] , for cut cabbage β ∈ [ 0.05 , 0.10 ] and γ ∈ [ 0.09 , 0.12 ] , and for cut iceberg lettuce β ∈ [ 0.03 , 0.06 ] and γ ∈ [ 0.07 , 0.14 ] . Taking values from these ranges the model was able to consistently predict experimental FC dynamics (decay and replenishment), indicating robustness of the apparent reaction rate constants across scales. Comparing sequential changes in COD with turbidity and total dissolved solids (TDS) relative to produce washing rates, our results also illustrate that turbidity and TDS may not be reliable predictors of FC decay rates across produce types and experimental scales. In concert with future experiments, these models could serve as important tools aimed at validating FC compliance within operational limits as well as guiding large-scale commercial experiments focused on improving chlorine management strategies relevant for industry.

Valorisation of fish discards assisted by enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial bioconversion: Lab and pilot plant studies and preliminary sustainability evaluation

The new EU fishing policies (Landing Obligation) are aimed at preventing the elimination of fishing discards overboard. These new biomasses that have to be landed from 2019 force to stablish valorisation protocols since, in most cases, they cannot be used directly for human consumption. In this context, the aim of this work was to develop an integral process based on enzyme proteolysis that permitted jointly the production and recovery of fish protein hydrolysates (FPHs), oils, bioactive peptides and fish peptones. This procedure was initially applied to ten fish discards to lab scale. FPHs of high quality in terms of soluble protein and amino acid contents, digestibility and bioactivities were obtained. The growth and metabolites productions by Pediococcus acidilactici on peptones from FPHs was also evaluated with excellent results. Pilot plant trials confirmed the results of FPHs production obtained at lab scale. Finally, a comparison with the nowadays most common use of fish biomass (fish meal production) has been made as a preliminary sustainability assessment of the proposed FPHs valorisation chain.

Scale-down emulsion homogenization: Conditions to mimic pilot homogenizer depending on the emulsifier

The standard tool for emulsification during formulation trials is a homogenizer, which unfortunately requires too much raw material and is time consuming. A lab-scale process using a rotor-stator shearing step followed by ultrasound treatment was designed, both with lecithin and whey protein, for emulsification as efficient as in pilot-plant trials. Ranges for the lab-scale process were defined (rotor-stator: 5 min, 5000–10000 rpm; sonication time: 2–10 min). Process conditions were identified to obtain both emulsions with the same structure at lab and pilot scales: for lecithin, respectively shearing at 10000 rpm/10 min sonication and high pressure for both pilot stages. However, due to protein denaturation, some conditions differed for whey proteins: shearing at 5000 rpm instead of 10000 rpm (all the other parameters being unchanged). Finally, recommendations concerning the position of the ultrasound probe and temperature control are provided to insure good reproducibility.