2011 Volume 90 Issue 12 Pages 1177-1182
In this research, the experiment of converting Japanese municipal solid waste (MSW) into chlorine-free solid fuel using the combination of hydrothermal process and water-washing has been performed. It was shown that after the hydrothermal process, the organic chlorine in the product was reduced and converted into water-soluble inorganic chlorine by the dehydrochlorination effect and the reaction with the alkaline content in MSW. Water-washing experiments were then conducted to identify the influencing parameters of chlorine removal by the washing process to obtain chlorine-free products. The results showed that up to 96 % of inorganic chlorine can be removed only by one-time washing, and the water to product ratio of 1:1 was sufficient to obtain a product with less than 3,000 ppm total chlorine content when the washed water was reused in the washing process. Furthermore, a mass balance calculation of the hydrothermal treatment system and the product characteristics have been performed.
