A comparison of technical and environmental merits of producing bio-ethanol and bio-methane from waste paper sludge

The pressing need for alternative methods of waste management in developing countries has led to increased interest in energy recovery from waste. However, owing to the high proportion of wet organic waste, it will be necessary to take material-specific approaches going beyond bulk incineration. Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) have shown that there is a large potential in bio-energy production from waste papers and cellulosic waste sludge, however, it is still unclear whether it would be more feasible to convert the mostly wet non-recyclable waste paper to bio-methane or to bio-ethanol. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the technical and environmental feasibility of converting waste paper sludge to bio-ethanol and bio-methane for application as a vehicle fuel or for the generation of electricity. The focus of this study was on the conversion of waste paper sludge (WPS) in particular, which is generally sent directly to landfill and rarely treated.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Chemical Engineering

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Dalwai, Ilhaam

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Von Blottnitz, Harro

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11983

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/11983