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Valorization of Paper waste in UAEProf. Jens Ejbye Schmidt

Masdar InstituteA Part of Khalifa University of Science and Technology

Abu Dhabi, UAE

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IntroductionUnited Arab Emirates and environmental concerns

Tuesday, July 04, 2017

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IntroductionUnited Arab Emirates and environmental concerns

Tuesday, July 04, 2017

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IntroductionUnited Arab Emirates and environmental concerns

Tuesday, July 04, 2017 2015

Dubai

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Motivation

MotivationThe Emirate of Abu Dhabi has committed that by 2020, the economy should be diversified so it is not only dependent of the income from fossil fuels

The Emirate has targeted to divert 85% of its solid waste from landfills by 2030 (EAD, 2013). 

UAE government has committed to increase domestic share of renewable energy to 27% by 2021 (UAE vision)

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Objectives

Objective

The objective of the present work is to discuss the fate of Anaerobic Digestion of paper and cardboard waste in Abu Dhabi. Three different applications are analysed:

1. Biogas production

2. Organic Acids production by dark fermentation

In addition a TEA will be done

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Paper and cardboard waste treatment routes

Products/OutcomeProcessesTreatment categoriesOrganic waste

Paper waste

thermal incineration energy

gasification, pyrolysis fuel, syngas

biological

anaerobic digestion CH4

composting compost

MCF platform chemicals

Landfill, dumpsite . -

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Composition of the different biomasses

(g/100g_wet_solid)

Total solids Volatile solids

Newspaper 93 ± 0.1 80 ± 0.2

Cardboard 94 ± 0.1 86 ± 0.3

A4 paper 94 ± 0.1 79 ± 0.4

Anaerobic sludge 5 ± 0.4 3 ± 0.2

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Methane yields – with and without pretreatment The thermal pretreatment was performed at 120 C for 30 minutes.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

0 20 40 60 80

CH

4 yie

ld (m

lCH

4/gV

S)

Time (days)

Newspaper

0

100

200

300

400

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

CH

4 yie

ld (m

lCH

4/gV

S)

Time (days)

Cardboard

0

100

200

300

400

500

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

CH

4 yie

ld (m

lCH

4/gV

S)

Time (days)

A4 paper

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

0 10 20 30 40 50

Untreated biomass

Thermal-pretreated biomass

Gompertz model

Modified Gompertz model

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0.01

0.10

1.00

10.00

100.00

1,000.00

10,000.00

100,000.00

1,000,000.00

Beta-ca

roten

e

Glucari

c acid

Calcium

algin

ate

Potass

ium al

ginate

Sodium

algin

ate

Carrag

eena

n

Butyric

acid

Caproi

c acid

Propion

ic ac

id La

ctic a

cid

Ethano

l Buta

nol

Activa

ted ca

rbon

Acetic

acid

Biocha

r Dies

el Je

tfuel

Sugars

Meth

ane

Mar

ket P

rice

(USD

/tonn

e)

(30 – 110) 103

8,000 – 10,000

1,500 – 2,250

360 - 600

Towards the production of high value chemicals from organic residues

Price need to be competitive with solar plant, 3-4¢/kWh for the newest solar PV

plants in UAE

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The carboxylate platform

Paper waste

Carboxylic acids

ProductsMixed culture fermentation

Applications

Biofertilizer

CH4, H2, CO2

Separation from water into individual acids

Direct use in subsequent bioprocess

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Carboxylic acid production

Method: Percolation

Tuesday, July 04, 2017Bioreactor

Overflow

Pump to percolation unit

Outlet to percolation unit

Percolation unit

Method: Percolation

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Results and discussion: percolation reactor

Tuesday, July 04, 2017Initial waste 109 gTS/L, yield 0.14 glactic acid/gTS fed, final pH = 3.74

Bonk et al, 207, Bioresource Technology

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

mass base

prod

uct c

once

ntra

tion

(g/L

)

EthanolHexanoic acidValeric acidButyric acidPropionic acidAcetic acidLactic acidSuccinic acid

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Percolation reactor with online separation

Tuesday, July 04, 2017

Organic waste

compost

Fresh water

Waste water to anaerobic digester

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Recovery of carboxylic acids from dark fermentation by resin and activated carbon. Yousuf et al. 2016, Bioresource Technology

Separation efficiency 

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0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

min

imum

VFA

sel

ling

pric

e an

d m

arke

t pr

ice

(USD

/t-VF

A)

total

Dark fermentation andcomposting cost - by-product revenue

Techno‐economic analysis using Aspen ‐ 2000 tons per day (10% of organic waste in Abu Dhabi)

Result and Discussion: Main messages

Tuesday, July 04, 2017Dilute: 1-3% Pure: 99%

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0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

min

imum

VFA

sel

ling

pric

e an

d m

arke

t pr

ice

(USD

/t-VF

A)

total

VFA separation bydistillation

Dewatering

Dark fermentation andcomposting cost - by-product revenue

Techno‐economic analysis

Tuesday, July 04, 2017Dilute: 1-3% Pure: 99%

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Conclusion

Animl dung

Carboxylic acids

ProductsMixed culture fermentation

Applications

Biofertilizer

CH4, H2, CO2

Separation from water into individual acids

Direct use in subsequent bioprocess

Paper waste

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Thank YouProf George Stephanopoulos & Prof. Kristala L Jones Prather MIT Dr. Juan Bastidas MIFabian Bonk, Akinleye Olamilekan Sowunmi and Ahasa Yousef MI