Investigation of municipal solid waste to alcohol conversion for Army use. Final report

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7179442

Akin, C; Biederman, R; Blazek, C; Goyal, A; Mensinger, M

Rising costs of nonhazardous solid waste (SW) disposal, along with strict environmental regulations, limited landfill capacity, and the difficulty in siting new incinerators and landfills make SW disposal a costly, complex problem for Army installations. Converting SW to alcohol is one proposed way to lessen the SW disposal burden. This study evaluated and compared two different proposed processes for converting municipal solid waste (MSW) and waste paper to fuel ethanol and other byproducts. To convert the cellulosic fraction of MSW to fermentable sugars, the first process uses a single stage of dilute acid hydrolysis, and the second process uses enzymatic hydrolysis. Both processes promise to minimize the amount of waste material that would otherwise be landfilled or discarded. Ethanol-a byproduct of these processes-will continue to increase in value and market share as a fuel, fuel extender, or octane enhancer that can help reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil. The study concluded neither process is presently ready for a single-step expansion to an economically viable, commercial-scale application. However, with continued development, both processes can serve as bases for detailed engineering and technology development studies leading to the design, construction, and operation of a commercial demonstration plant.

• Research Organization: Army Construction Engineering Research Lab., Champaign, IL (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7179442
• Report Number(s): AD-A-252252/2/XAB; CERL-TR-E-92/07
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
ETHANOL
SYNTHESIS
REFUSE DERIVED FUELS
ACID HYDROLYSIS
CELLULOSE
ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS
FERMENTATION
FUEL ADDITIVES
MUNICIPAL WASTES
SOLID WASTES
US DOD
ADDITIVES
ALCOHOLS
BIOCONVERSION
CARBOHYDRATES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
FUELS
HYDROLYSIS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
LYSIS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLYSACCHARIDES
SACCHARIDES
SOLVOLYSIS
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
090900* - Biomass Fuels- Processing- (1990-)
320305 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Industrial Waste Management