Location: Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research
Title: Research needs and achievements in HTC technologyAuthor
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DANG, CHAU - Leibniz Institute |
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CAPPAI, GIOVANNA - University Of Cagliari |
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JEONG, CHANGYOON - Louisiana State University |
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CHUNG, JAE - Zurich University Of Applied Sciences |
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MARCHELLI, FILIPPO - University Of Trento, Italy |
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KULLI, BEATRICE - Zurich University Of Applied Sciences |
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Ro, Kyoung |
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ROMAN, SILVIA - Universidad De Extremadura |
Submitted to: Agronomy
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 1/22/2024 Publication Date: 1/24/2024 Citation: Dang, C.H., Cappai, G., Jeong, C., Chung, J.W., Marchelli, F., Kulli, B., Ro, K.S., Roman, S. 2024. Research needs and achievements in HTC technology. Agronomy. 14(2):247. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14020247. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14020247 Interpretive Summary: Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is an emerging technology for producing value-added products from various waste streams. It is a cost-effective and energy-efficient technology especially for wet-waste management and producing value-added solid and liquid products. There are however several issues that still need to be addressed with further research for proper implementation of the technology in the field. Firstly, the strengths and weaknesses of HTC in comparison to traditional pyrolysis process making biochar must be clearly understood by scientists and end users, so that they can properly choose one process or both (complementary) to produce products with desired properties. Secondly, more information on diverse process modeling approaches and scales is critical for enhancing the robustness and universality of HTC technology. Thirdly, the effect of hydrochar on soil application needs to be better understood in terms of nutrients release and plant update, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas emissions. Lastly, proper management of the process byproducts, especially processing water must be addressed to improve the carbon and hydric footprint of the process. This paper aims to tackle the above-mentioned issues through an updated review and discussion of research gaps requiring further investigations. Technical Abstract: Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a cost-effective and energy-efficient technology for wet-waste management and value-added product recovery. There are however several issues that still need to be addressed with further research for successful implementation of the technology. Firstly, the strengths and weaknesses of HTC in comparison to traditional pyrolysis process making biochar must be clearly understood by scientists and end users, so that they can properly choose one process or both (complementary) to produce products with desired properties. Secondly, more information on diverse process modeling approaches and scales is critical for enhancing the robustness and universality of HTC technology. Thirdly, the effect of hydrochar on soil application needs to be better understood in terms of nutrients release and plant update, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas emissions. Lastly, proper management of the process byproducts, especially processing water must be addressed to improve the carbon and hydric footprint of the process. This paper aims to elucidate the above-mentioned issues through an updated review and discussion of research gaps requiring further investigations. |