Response surface optimization, combustion characteristics and kinetic analysis of mixed fuels of Fenton/CaO conditioned municipal sewage sludge and rice husk.

The co-combustion characteristics and kinetics of Fenton/CaO conditioned MSS, and biomass rice husk (RH) are studied by thermogravimetry, and the condition optimization was carried out by response surface methodology (RSM). The results show that the mixed fuel with RH is helpful to decrease Ti and Tb values and increase combustion characteristic index (CCI). The CCI of MSS after conditioning is 0.59-0.88 times lower than that of the pure MSS. In addition, the total Em of S2, MSS/RH mixed combustion after Fenton/CaO conditioning is lower, the combustion reactivity is stronger. According to RSM, the optimum conditions are considered to be: RH mixing ratio 56%, Fenton/CaO conditioner dosage 147 mg g-1 dry solids, heating rate 30 K min-1, the maximum CCI 25.3305 × 10-7%2 °C-3 min-2, and the minimum Em 10.6403 kJ min-1. This study supplies new insights into combustion technology of sludge.

NOx emission from the combustion of mixed fuel pellets of Fenton/CaO-conditioned municipal sludge and rice husk.

Sludge incineration technology is facing the problem of gaseous pollutant discharge. The control of NOx emissions is the key to reducing the impact of sludge combustion on environmental pollution. In this study, Fenton/CaO was used to condition municipal sludge, which was subsequently mixed with rice husk to fabricate briquette fuel for combustion experiments. The effects of the conditioner dosages, mass ratios of the rice hull to sludge, and the combustion temperatures on NOx emissions from briquette combustion were studied. The results showed that the NOx emissions decreased with increasing doses of conditioned sludge. In addition, with an increase in the rice husk ratio in the briquette, the NOx emissions decreased and the conversion rate increased. Additionally, with an increasing combustion temperature, the combustion of molded fuel became more complete. The NOx emission of conditioned sludge combustion was reduced by approximately 1.3 times compared with that of the sludge alone. Using the response surface methodology, the optimized conditions were obtained as follows: the rice husk mixing ratio is 43.8%, the Fenton/CaO conditioner dosage is 220 mg/g, and the temperature is 829 °C. The minimum NOx emission concentration was predicted to be 0.845 mg/g. The NOx emission laws observed from the combustion of mixed fuel pellets are believed to provide basic data for a new sludge treatment method.