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Energy from organic wastes: comparison and update

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6308680
Various conversion processes to recover energy from organic wastes and biomass were reviewed and compared. Combustion of wastes to produce steam gas gained considerable attention industrially. Applications of other processes for converting organic wastes to gaseous and liquid fuel including hydrogasification, pyrolysis, bioconversion-fermentation, and liquefaction are potentially significant as they represent a supplemental source of energy supply. The pyrolysis process is currently being tested on a relatively large scale, and the process economics are expected to improve with the increasing price of the recovered products. The development of the bioconversion-fermentation process to produce substituted natural gas is advancing to the stage of large scale demonstration, and is a serious contender for making fuel gas from organic wastes and biomass. Methane recovery has yet to be proved economically feasible on a large scale, but its potential could well be enormous. The development of the hydrogasification and liquefaction processes should advance with the progress of coal gasification and liquefaction technologies.
Research Organization:
Energy Research and Development Administration, Pittsburgh, PA (USA). Pittsburgh Energy Research Center
OSTI ID:
6308680
Report Number(s):
CONF-7511155-1; ON: DE83008214
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English