Supercritical conversion of wastes from wine industry: Effects of concentration, temperature and group 1A carbonates

Abstract

Supercritical water gasification (SCWG) is a promising waste treatment technology for streams from wine industry, which can eliminate its pollution and produce biofuels simultaneously. In this study, we investigated the influence of catalyst concentration and temperature for efficient SCWG so as to shift the product distribution toward more desirable compounds. Also, experiments have been demonstrated to examine the effect of the group 1A carbonates (Li2CO3, Na2CO3, K2CO3, and Cs2CO3). Wine industry wastes have been successfully gasified and the products were identified by using chromatographic methods. As going down from top to bottom in group 1A by increasing reaction temperature, the highest H2 and CH4 yields were obtained with Cs2CO3 at 600 degrees C. These results support the development of the reaction conditions by effective catalysts to contribute to the solution of the global bioenergy shortage and effective waste management of the industry.