Today the use of resources in the industry are not complete to be considered as sustainable from the perspective of nutrient recovery. In the Swedish pulp and paper industry residual streams such as bark, fiber reject and sludge are returned for more sustainable use more frequently. Around 300 000-600 000 tons of sludge is generated every year from different cleaning processes in the pulp and paper industry. About 15 % of that sludge is so called biosludge that is a result from biological water treatment, where large amounts of phosphorus are used. After the cleaning process the total amount of biosludge generated in Sweden each year is estimated to contain approximately 2000 tons of phosphorus (P). The most common way to discard the biosludge today is by incineration, where aspects such as high content of moisture and ash have proven to be problematic. Besides phosphorus, other elements such as sulfur (S), chlorine (Cl) and calcium (Ca) are often found in the biosludge in larger amounts.   This study included co-combustion experiments of current residual streams from the pulp and paper mill SCA Obbola AB where the aim was to investigate how the ash transformation chemistry was affected. The residual streams comprised of bark, fiber reject and biosludge which were combusted together with stem wood in a bench scaled bubbling fluidized bed. To investigate if different ash related operating and technical problems could be reduced and if there was potential of phosphorus recycling from the ashes, produced ash and other samples were examined by SEM/EDS. The fuel mix from SCA Obbola consisted of large amounts of Ca, S and P relative to more ordinary biomass fuels like stem wood. These elements originated from the biosludge and was confirmed by the fuel analysis. Analysis made on collected samples showed that Ca and P together formed phosphates that either stayed in the bed or was collected in the cyclone which indicated that there could be a potential for recovering phosphorus. Although, the Ca/P ratio in the ashes was too high, which probably leads to that phosphates unsuitable for nutrient recovery are formed.   The fiber reject from SCA Obbola contained large amounts of chlorine according to the fuel analysis which was indicated from the results later in the study. During the combustion most of the Cl left the bottom ash via volatilization. It was true for both the fuel blends with and without fiber reject. When larger amounts of biosludge was added to the fuel mix less of the corrosive compound potassium chloride (KCl) was found in depositions and collected fine particulate matter (PM). This was due to that more sulfur was added in the system when the amount of biosludge was increased which lead to that K reacted with SO2 instead of Cl and formed K2SO4. The observed reduction of KCl resulted in; 1) lower amounts of fine particulate matter which means less loaded particulate filters 2) less risk of high temperature corrosion on heat transfer surfaces. The general conclusion that could be drawn from this study was that by increasing the amount of biosludge in the fuel blend at already high mixings of fiber reject, problems such as corrosion and fine particulate matter could be reduced. These advantages must be considered to the amount of lime stone needed to be added for reducing HCl from a cost perspective.

Gas fluidised beds are important components in many process industries, e.g. coal combustors and granulators, but not much is known about the movement of the solids. Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) enables the movement of a single, radioactive tracer particle to be followed rapidly and faithfully. Experiments were carried out in columns sized between 70 and 240mm diameter, operating in the bubbling regime at ambient process conditions using particles of group B and D (Geldart Classification). Particle motion was tracked and the data applied to models for particle movement at the gas distributor as well as close to other surfaces and to models for particle circulation in beds of cohesive particles. In the light of these data, models for particle and bubble interaction, particle circulation, segregation, attrition, erosion, heat transfer and fluidised bed scale-up rules were reassessed. Particle motion is directly caused by bubble motion, and their velocities were found to be equal for particles travelling in a bubble. PEPT enables particle circulation to be measured, giving a more accurate correlation for future predictions. Particle motion follows the scale-up rules based on similarities of the bubble motion in the bed. A new group of parameters was identified controlling the amount ofattrition in fluidised beds and a new model to predict attrition is proposed.

The Fluidised Bed Combustion (FBC) technology has been widely used internationally for power generation. This technology has good fuel flexibility and reduced S02 emissions with dry sorbent (Limestone or Dolomite) addition. South Africa has large reserves of coals that are difficult to combust in conventional pulverised fuel fired boilers. These reserves could be potential feedstocks for new build FBC boilers. The chemical composition of these coals is site specific and could have an impact on the combustion performance of the fuel. This necessitates the need for FBC coal tests in the presence of a sorbent. The objectives of this study were to investigate the changes in the production NO" SO" and the combustion efficiency of the three test coals under conditions of fluidised bed combustion, with the same sorbent. Tests with no sorbent were performed to evaluate the coals inherent calcium capabilities of capturing sulphur. Tests with varying ratios of sorbent were performed to evaluate the sorbent's capabilities for further levels of in-bed desulphurisation. The experimental equipment used in this investigation was the Eskom Fluidised Bed Test Facility (FBTF). This facility is a bubbling fluidised bed combustorlgasifier. The investigated bed temperature range was between 800 to 900°C, in intervals of 20°C. The operating pressure was 50kPa (gauge). The three coals were compared at CalS molar ratio of 1. Carbon in ash has shown to decrease with an increase in bed temperature for Coal A, Band C. The best performing coal in terms of least quantity of remaining carbon in ash was Coal A. The NO emissions increased for an increase in bed temperature for Coal A, Band C. The greatest NO emissions were recorded during Coal B tests. The N 20 emissions decreased with an increase in bed temperature for Coal A and B tests. Higher N 20 emissions were observed for Coal B than Coal A tests. In terms of S02 retention Coal C performed the best. The optimal operating bed temperature for S02 retention observed for the three coals was in the region of 800-860°C. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

Sulphur dioxide (S02) is an atmospheric pollutant that has the ability to negatively impact on local vegetation, farming activities and human health. South Africa's coal fired power stations release this pollutant into the atmosphere during the combustion of coal. Current coal fired power stations operating in South Africa are not required to install any form of S02 removal equipment however, the new Air Quality Act to be implemented in South Africa could change this situation. The use of Fluidised Bed Technology with the addition of limestone or dolomite (sorbent) has the ability to absorb and convert S02 from a gaseous phase into a solid phase for easy disposal. The objective of this study was to evaluate potential commercial sorbent sources in South Africa that could potentially be used for the reduction of S02 released into the atmosphere during fluidised bed combustion of coal. Eight commercially mined sorbents within a two hundred kilometre radius of large economically mineable coalfields were selected. The study was divided into two parts in order to identify any possible links between the physical and chemical composition of the sorbents and their performance under fluidised bed combustion conditions. In Part 1, the chemical composition of the sorbents was determined by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. The sorbents hardness property was determined by Hardgrove Grindability Index (HGI) testing. The physical structure of the sorbent was analysed by both Petrographical and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis of the original/parent sorbents. In Part 2, S02 absorption capability by the sorbents was determined through batch tests conducted in a 1.6m high stainless steel, 10kW electrically heated Atmospheric Fluidised Bed Reactor (AFBR). Three different bed temperatures (800, 850 and 900°C) and three different particle size ranges (425-500, 600-710 and 850-lOOOllm) were tested for each of the eight sorbents. The highest Maximum Sulphur Retention for all of the sorbents was found to occur at a temperature of 850°C and at the smallest particle size tested, 425-500llm. The best desulphurisation sorbent of the eight sorbents tested was found to be Sorb1 with a S02 Maximum Sulphur Retention of 92.30% and a Removal Efficiency of 84.54%. Additional tests were also performed on the sorbents to get a better understanding of their desulphurisation ability. For the area calculation on the performance test graphs, it was found that the sorbent that produced the best S02 removal efficiency was not necessarily the sorbent that had the highest maximum sulphur retention. For varying quantities of sorbent added to the AFBR, it was found that each sorbent had an optimum quantity that produced the best removal efficiency. However, for desulphurisation beyond certain limits any further increase in the amount of sorbent added to the AFBR resulted only in a marginal increase in the sorbent's S02 removal. The calcium and magnesium composition of the sorbents was found to have no noticeable influence on the sorbents ability to reduce S02. The silica and inherent moisture content of the sorbent showed signs whereby an increase in their compositions produced an increase in desulphurisation. The Hardgrove Grindability Index of the sorbents indicated that the softer the sorbent, the better the S02 reduction. The petrographical analysis performed on the eight sorbents showed no obvious reason for the difference between the sorbents ability to remove S02. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

The mining of coal in arid regions has led to calls for research in to the field of dry beneficiation, / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Ph.D., Faculty of Science, University of the Wiwatersrand, 2011 / Biological production of hydrogen gas has received increasing interest from the international community during the last decade. Most studies on biological fermentative hydrogen production from carbohydrates using mixed cultures have been conducted in conventional continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR) under mesophilic conditions. Investigations on hydrogen production in reactor systems with attached or self-immobilized microbial growth have also appeared recently in the literature. These investigations on attached or self-immobilised bacteria involve hydrogen production in the mesophilic and thermophilic temperature range. The present study investigated the design and operational features of anaerobic fluidized granular bed bioreactor (AFGB) system which would facilitate the simultaneous achievement of high productivities (HPs) and high hydrogen yields (HYs).Where high HPs is greater than 120 mmol H2 /(L.h) and HYs greater than 4 mol H2/mol glucose. Theoretical maximum yield for an exponentially growing non-granulated bacterial monoculture will always be less than the thermodynamic maximum of 4 mol H2 /mol glucose: C6H12O6 +4H2O → 2CH3COO- + 4H2 + 4H+ + 2HCO3. The design features included reducing the total non-working or dead volume of bioreactor system. The operational improvements included application of thermophilic temperatures and high rates of de-gassed effluent recycling through the fluidized granular bed. An example of an optimal ratio of effluent recycle rate (R) to bioreactor working volume (V) was (3.0 L/min)/(3.2 L/min) = 0.94 minutes. Under conditions where temperatures were maximised and V/R were minimized the HPs increased to 21.58 L H2 /h. Also under these conditions the HYs increased above 3.0 mol H2/mol glucose. Specific hydrogen productivity for the fluidized granular bed increased from 0.25 L H2 / (g BM.h) or 8.83 mmol H2 / (g BM.h) at 45 oC to 0.525 L H2 / (g BM.h) or 18.03 mmol H2 / ( g BM.h) at 70 oC. A 3.64 fold increase in hydrogen yield occurred with an increase in temperature from 45 oC to 70 oC. XX When expressed in terms of glucose, this represents an increase from 1.34 mol H2 /mol glucose to 4.65 mol H2 /mol glucose. Finally, an evaluation of the net energy production by the AFGB system revealed a positive energy balance, making thermophilic biohydrogen production energetically viable from a commercial perspective.

Pas de résumé / Fluidized beds are a particular hydrodynamic configuration in which a pack (either dense or loose) of particles laid inside a container is re-suspended as a result of an upward oriented imposed flow at the bottom of the pack. This kind of system is widely used in the chemical engineering industry where catalytic cracking or polymerization processes involve chemical reactions between the catalyst particles and the surrounding fluid and fluidizing the bed is admittedly beneficial to the efficiency of the process. Due to the wide range of spatial scales and complex features of solid/solid and solid/fluid interactions in a dense fluidized bed, the system can be studied at different length scales, namely micro, meso and macro. In this work we focus on micro/meso simulations of fluidized beds. The workflow we use is based on home made high-fidelity numerical tools: GRAINS3D (Pow. Tech., 224:374-389, 2012) for granular dynamics of convex particles and PeliGRIFF (Parallel Efficient LIbrary for GRains In Fluid Flows, Comp. Fluids, 38(8):1608-1628,2009) for reactive fluid/solid flows. The objectives of our micro/meso simulations of such systems are two-fold: (i) to understand the multi-scale features of the system from a hydrodynamic standpoint and (ii) to analyze the performance of our meso-scale numerical model and to improve it accordingly. To this end, we first perform Particle Resolved Simulations (PRS) of liquid/solid and gas/solid fluidization of a 2000 particle system. The accuracy of the numerical results is examined by assessing the space convergence of the computed solution in order to guarantee that our PRS results can be reliably considered as a reference solution for this problem. The computational challenge for our PRS is a combination of a fine mesh to properly resolve all flow length scales to a long enough physical simulation time in order to extract time converged statistics. For that task, High Performance Computing and highly parallel codes as GRAINS3D/PeliGRIFF are extremely helpful. Second, we carry out a detailed cross-comparison of PRS results with those of locally averaged Euler- Lagrange simulations. Results show an acceptable agreement between the micro- and meso-scale predictions on the integral measures as pressure drop, bed height, etc. However, particles fluctuations are remarkably underpredicted by the meso-scale model, especially in the direction transverse to the main flow. We explore different directions in the improvement of the meso-scale model, such as (a) improving the inter-phase coupling scheme and (b) introducing a stochastic formulation for the drag law derived from the PRS results. We show that both improvements (a) and (b) are required to yield a satisfactory match of meso-scale results with PRS results. The new stochastic drag law, which incorporates information on the first and second-order moments of the PRS results, shows promises to recover the appropriate level of particles fluctuations. It now deserves to be validated on a wider range of flow regimes.

Neste trabalho estudou-se o efeito da granulometria do calcário na absorção de SO2 em batelada em reator de leito fluidizado borbulhante. Conversão e coeficiente global de reação foram estabelecidos a partir de condições simuladas, típicas de combustão em leito fluidizado. O sistema experimental foi constituído por um reator de 160 mm de diâmetro interno e altura de 450 mm. Utilizou-se granulometria estreita de dois tipos de calcários com diâmetros médios de 390, 462, 545, 650 e 770 &#956m. A areia de quartzo que compunha o leito tinha diâmetro igual ao do calcário. O ar foi aquecido por resistências elétricas e acrescido de frações de SO2, alcançado concentrações em torno de 1000 ppm. Os experimentos foram realizados com bateladas de 50 g de calcário, temperatura fixa de 850°C, e relação entre velocidades de fluidização e de mínima fluidização foi mantida 4/1. Os resultados mostram que a conversão variou entre 10 a 40% para o calcário magnesiano e 8 a 25% para o calcítico. O coeficiente global de taxa de reação aumentou com redução do diâmetro. O modelo de redução de dados não respondeu satisfatoriamente para partículas de 462 e 390 &#956m. / This work concerns the study of the effect of limestone particle size on S02 absorption in bench fluidized bed reactor plant. Conversion and global reaction rate coefficients were established for simulated conditions typical to fluidized bed combustion of coal. The reactor had an internal diameter of 160 mm and 450 high. The bed was fluidized with air containing a concentration of about 1000 ppm of S02. Narrows size distribution of two types of limestone with overage diameters of 390, 462, 545,650 and 770 mm. It were used sand of quartz that composed the bed had the same diameter of the limestone. The experiments were carried out on a batch mode introducing samples of 50 g limestone into the bed. The temperature of the process was fixed in 850ºC. The ration between gas fluidization velocity and minimum fluidization velocity was fixed about 4/1. The results show that the conversion varied among 10 to 40% for the magnesiano and 8 to 25% for the calcítico limestone. The global of reaction rate coefficient increased with reduction of diameter. The data reduction model did not answer satisfactorily for particles of 462 and 390 &#956m.

Neste trabalho estudou-se o efeito da granulometria do calcário na absorção de SO2 em batelada em reator de leito fluidizado borbulhante. Conversão e coeficiente global de reação foram estabelecidos a partir de condições simuladas, típicas de combustão em leito fluidizado. O sistema experimental foi constituído por um reator de 160 mm de diâmetro interno e altura de 450 mm. Utilizou-se granulometria estreita de dois tipos de calcários com diâmetros médios de 390, 462, 545, 650 e 770 &#956m. A areia de quartzo que compunha o leito tinha diâmetro igual ao do calcário. O ar foi aquecido por resistências elétricas e acrescido de frações de SO2, alcançado concentrações em torno de 1000 ppm. Os experimentos foram realizados com bateladas de 50 g de calcário, temperatura fixa de 850°C, e relação entre velocidades de fluidização e de mínima fluidização foi mantida 4/1. Os resultados mostram que a conversão variou entre 10 a 40% para o calcário magnesiano e 8 a 25% para o calcítico. O coeficiente global de taxa de reação aumentou com redução do diâmetro. O modelo de redução de dados não respondeu satisfatoriamente para partículas de 462 e 390 &#956m. / This work concerns the study of the effect of limestone particle size on S02 absorption in bench fluidized bed reactor plant. Conversion and global reaction rate coefficients were established for simulated conditions typical to fluidized bed combustion of coal. The reactor had an internal diameter of 160 mm and 450 high. The bed was fluidized with air containing a concentration of about 1000 ppm of S02. Narrows size distribution of two types of limestone with overage diameters of 390, 462, 545,650 and 770 mm. It were used sand of quartz that composed the bed had the same diameter of the limestone. The experiments were carried out on a batch mode introducing samples of 50 g limestone into the bed. The temperature of the process was fixed in 850ºC. The ration between gas fluidization velocity and minimum fluidization velocity was fixed about 4/1. The results show that the conversion varied among 10 to 40% for the magnesiano and 8 to 25% for the calcítico limestone. The global of reaction rate coefficient increased with reduction of diameter. The data reduction model did not answer satisfactorily for particles of 462 and 390 &#956m.

O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi obter parâmetros reativos para as reações de absorção de SO2 por calcários em leitos fluidizados e procurar correlacionar, através de dois modelos simples, os resultados obtidos para distribuições granulométricas amplas e estreitas. Foram estudadas cinco faixas estreitas, com diâmetros de 385, 460, 545, 650, 775 &#956m para dois tipos de calcários, um dolomítico (DP) e um calcítico (CI). A partir destas faixas estreitas foram compostas quatro misturas, com 498, 540, 543 e 617 &#956m. Um dos dois modelos foi usado para determinar a fração com que cada faixa estreita deveria estar presente na mistura. Uma das misturas, a Mistura 2 (540 &#956m), tinha distribuição de diâmetros aproximadamente normal e a outra, Mistura 3 (543 &#956m), distribuição plana. O leito, de 160 mm de diâmetro, foi fluidizado com ar à temperatura de 850ºC e utilizou areia como material particulado. O calcário foi introduzido em bateladas de 50 g em um leito de areia de mesmo diâmetro com cerca de 2,0 Kg de massa. Uma vazão de SO2 foi misturada ao ar antes que este entrasse no leito, de forma a resultar em uma concentração próxima à 1000 ppm na saída do reator. A concentração de saída foi monitorada e a sua queda, verificada após a introdução da batelada de calcário, foi utilizada em um modelo matemático para determinar os parâmetros reativos, entre eles a conversão, taxa de conversão e o coeficiente global de taxa de reação. Os modelos de distribuição granulométrica empregados produziram boa correlação entre as misturas e as faixas estreitas durante a sulfatação. Na calcinação, o processo mostrou-se mais lento para a distribuição ampla do calcário DP e não foi afetado para o CI. Em todos os casos estudados o diâmetro do calcário mostrou afetar significativamente e de forma inversa, a eficiência dos calcários na remoção do SO2. O calcário DP mostrou-se sempre mais eficiente do que o calcário CI. / The main objective of this work was to compare the reactivity of limestones with narrow and open particle size distribution in a bubling fluidized bed reactor and verify if the reactivity of the open sized mixtures could be predicted, using two simple models, from the known parameters of the narrow sized particles. Five narrow sizes were used, respectively 385, 460, 545, 650 and 775 &#956m for two different limestones, one calcitic (CI) and one Dolomitic (DP). Using this same material and one of the models, four mixtures were prepared with 498, 540, 543 and 617 &#956m of average diameter. The mixture of 540 &#956m had an aproximately normal distribution of sizes and the mixture of 543 &#956m a falt one. The bed, with 160 mm of diameter, was fluidized with air at a temperature of 850ºC, and 2 Kg of sand with the same size as the limestones, was used as the bed material. A flow of SO2 was mixed with the fluidization air prior to the gas distributor, producing a uniform concentration of about 1000 ppm at the reactor gas exaust. The limestone was then intoduced in a batch of 50 g and the SO2 concentration monitored. The change in the SO2 concentration after the limestone was intoduced in the reactor was used to derive the reactive parameters, namely the conversion, rate of conversion and global coefficient of reaction rate. The particle size distribution models produced a good correlation among the mixtures and the narrow sized particlesduring sulfatation. The calcination process was more slow for the open distribution of limestone DP but not affected for CI. In all cases there was a clear increase in the SO2 absorption as the particle size was reduced. Limestone DP was much more effective in the removal of SO2 than CI.