{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129971"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129971","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Modeling the national potential of pyrolytic biochar production from publicly owned treatment works","abstract":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-20 without embargo terms","abstract_html":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-20 without embargo terms","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Marszewski, Aaron"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Environ Engr in Civil Engr","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Cusick, Roland D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-07-22","date_published":"2025-07-22","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:06Z","subjects":["Pyrolysis","Biochar","Potw","Biosolids","Carbon Sequestration","Tea","Lca","Wrrf","Biogenic Refinery","Pfas","Drying Energy"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Aaron Marszewski"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129971","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Cusick, Roland D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Marszewski, Aaron"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-07-22","2025-08"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Environ Engr in Civil Engr"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Pyrolysis","Biochar","Potw","Biosolids","Carbon Sequestration","Tea","Lca","Wrrf","Biogenic Refinery","Pfas","Drying Energy"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Aaron Marszewski"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129971"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-20 without embargo terms","The student, Aaron Marszewski, accepted the attached license on 2025-07-21 at 12:05.","The student, Aaron Marszewski, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-07-21 at 13:22.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-07-22 at 09:21.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22677 on 2025-10-20 at 20:15:37","Biochar production through pyrolysis of wastewater biosolids was modeled across major Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) in the United States. The model system boundary considered the deployment of a Biogenic Refinery (a commercially available pyrolysis omni-processor) at the end of current POTW solids handling pretreatment trains. An improved pyrolysis biochar yield model was developed to quantify the impact of sequesterable carbon and drying energy requirements based on reported biosolids pretreatment methods for each POTW. These improved metrics allow for a more holistic techno-economic analysis (TEA) and lifecycle assessment (LCA). Results show that pyrolysis could be a carbon negative solution to handling biosolids and producing biochar, especially when modeled with POTWs that are already air or heat drying biosolids. Global warming potential for the biogenic refinery system was modeled across four pretreatment methods that could impact biochar yield: anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, combined digestion, and no digestion, and we found that the biogenic refinery could operate with net negative emissions [-55.8 – -78.0 kg CO2eq/ton-biosolids-treated, varying across 2617 facilities]. The TEA showed that the lifecycle cost of biosolids pyrolysis [$145 – $2260 per ton of biochar produced] was sensitive to facility size and biosolids pretreatment methods, with larger facilities being significantly more cost-effective until economy of scale plateaued near 4,000 dry tons/biosolids-yr. No external energy would be needed for drying if facilities already are heat drying biosolids, and facilities that air dry were found to have a mean drying requirement of [3.7, 4.3] GJ/ton-dry-biosolids which is within the range of thermal energy that would be available to the system by considering the difference in biochar output energy and biosolids input energy."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Modeling the national potential of pyrolytic biochar production from publicly owned treatment works"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Cusick, Roland D."],"dc:creator":["Marszewski, Aaron"],"dc:date":["2025-07-22","2025-08"],"dc:description":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-20 without embargo terms","The student, Aaron Marszewski, accepted the attached license on 2025-07-21 at 12:05.","The student, Aaron Marszewski, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-07-21 at 13:22.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-07-22 at 09:21.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22677 on 2025-10-20 at 20:15:37","Biochar production through pyrolysis of wastewater biosolids was modeled across major Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) in the United States. The model system boundary considered the deployment of a Biogenic Refinery (a commercially available pyrolysis omni-processor) at the end of current POTW solids handling pretreatment trains. An improved pyrolysis biochar yield model was developed to quantify the impact of sequesterable carbon and drying energy requirements based on reported biosolids pretreatment methods for each POTW. These improved metrics allow for a more holistic techno-economic analysis (TEA) and lifecycle assessment (LCA). Results show that pyrolysis could be a carbon negative solution to handling biosolids and producing biochar, especially when modeled with POTWs that are already air or heat drying biosolids. Global warming potential for the biogenic refinery system was modeled across four pretreatment methods that could impact biochar yield: anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, combined digestion, and no digestion, and we found that the biogenic refinery could operate with net negative emissions [-55.8 – -78.0 kg CO2eq/ton-biosolids-treated, varying across 2617 facilities]. The TEA showed that the lifecycle cost of biosolids pyrolysis [$145 – $2260 per ton of biochar produced] was sensitive to facility size and biosolids pretreatment methods, with larger facilities being significantly more cost-effective until economy of scale plateaued near 4,000 dry tons/biosolids-yr. No external energy would be needed for drying if facilities already are heat drying biosolids, and facilities that air dry were found to have a mean drying requirement of [3.7, 4.3] GJ/ton-dry-biosolids which is within the range of thermal energy that would be available to the system by considering the difference in biochar output energy and biosolids input energy."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129971"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Aaron Marszewski"],"dc:subject":["Pyrolysis","Biochar","Potw","Biosolids","Carbon Sequestration","Tea","Lca","Wrrf","Biogenic Refinery","Pfas","Drying Energy"],"dc:title":["Modeling the national potential of pyrolytic biochar production from publicly owned treatment works"],"dc:type":["text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Environ Engr in Civil Engr"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:06Z"}