Fossil fuels are the primary energy source of almost all societies and economies, but it is finite and scarce. The use of non-renewable fossil fuels threatens earth’s environment. At the same time, waste from agricultural and industrial activities is increasing. Most of this waste is discarded or poorly managed, causing many other environmental issues. Converting waste to energy is a promising route to address these challenges. We investigated the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of high moisture content, tobacco-processing waste in a multiple batch thermal reactor to produce biocrude oil. The effects of operating conditions were studied and optimized for maximum liquid biocrude oil yield. HTL operating conditions considered were temperatures from 280 to 340 °C and residence times from 15 to 45 min for a fixed ratio of biomass to deionized water of 1:3. The reaction temperature was found to affect the yields and distribution of products significantly. The maximum yield of the liquid biocrude oil obtained was more than 52% w/w at 310 °C and 15 min. Under these conditions, almost 90% of the energy was recovered in biocrude oil and solid products. The liquid fraction was mainly composed of phenols, ketones, and nitrogenous compounds. This study provides a potential framework for eco-technologies for biomass waste-to-energy conversion with respect to converting tobacco processing residues to liquid biofuels and biochemicals.

Graphic abstract

中文翻译：

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在多间歇式反应器中通过水热液化将烟草加工废料转化为生物原油

化石燃料是几乎所有社会和经济体的主要能源，但它是有限且稀缺的。使用不可再生的化石燃料威胁着地球的环境。与此同时，农业和工业活动产生的废物也在增加。大多数这些废物被丢弃或管理不善，导致许多其他环境问题。将废物转化为能源是应对这些挑战的一条有前途的途径。我们调查了高水分含量烟草加工废物在多批次热反应器中的水热液化 (HTL) 以生产生物原油。研究并优化了操作条件的影响，以实现最大液体生物原油产量。考虑的 HTL 操作条件是 280 至 340 °C 的温度和 15 至 45 分钟的停留时间，生物质与去离子水的固定比例为 1:3。发现反应温度显着影响产物的产率和分布。所得液态生物原油最大收率大于52%w/w在 310 °C 和 15 分钟。在这些条件下，几乎 90% 的能量都从生物原油和固体产品中回收。液体部分主要由酚类、酮类和含氮化合物组成。本研究为将烟草加工残留物转化为液体生物燃料和生物化学品的生物质废物转化为能源的生态技术提供了一个潜在框架。

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