Representative image. Totojang/iStock
Researchers at The Ohio State University have made significant strides in addressing the growing environmental challenges posed by discarded plastics, paper, and food waste.
Their recent study focuses on a transformative technology that converts these materials into syngas—a versatile substance commonly utilized to produce chemicals and fuels such as formaldehyde and methanol.
Utilizing advanced simulations, the researchers sought to assess the efficiency of a method known as chemical looping, which proved effective in breaking down waste materials to produce high-quality syngas.
The study’s lead author, Ishani Karki Kudva, a doctoral candidate in chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State, emphasized the method’s potential benefits, stating that enhancing the purity of syngas opens up new applications in various industries.
Chemical looping
Currently, most commercial methods generate syngas with a purity level ranging from 80% to 85%.
In contrast, Kudva’s team achieved a notable purity level of approximately 90%, which can be completed in just a few minutes.
This improvement is crucial, as higher purity levels make syngas useful as a raw material.
The groundbreaking research builds on decades of investigations at Ohio State, previously led by Liang-Shih Fan, a distinguished professor in the same department.
Fan’s work has explored chemical looping technology for converting fossil fuels, sewer gas, and coal into hydrogen, syngas, and other valuable byproducts.
The innovative system developed in this study comprises two reactors. The first is a moving bed reducer that breaks down waste using oxygen from metal oxide materials.
The second is a fluidized bed combustor that helps replenish oxygen, making the process efficient. This setup allows up to 45% more efficient operation while producing approximately 10% cleaner syngas than other methods.
Recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency indicates that in 2018, the United States produced around 35.7 million tons of plastic, with approximately 12.2% classified as municipal solid waste, including plastic containers, bags, appliances, furniture, agricultural waste, and food scraps.
Traditional approaches to waste management, such as landfilling and incineration, often present environmental risks, making the researchers’ alternative methods particularly timely.
Waste into fuel
The Ohio State team calculated that their approach could reduce carbon emissions by as much as 45% compared to conventional processes.
This research aligns with growing industry efforts to develop more sustainable technologies within the chemical sector.
Co-author Shekhar Shinde, a doctoral student in the chemical and biomolecular engineering field at Ohio State, highlighted the importance of transitioning towards methods that decarbonize energy production.
Unlike previous technologies that dealt with biomass waste and plastics separately, this new technique can process multiple types of materials simultaneously by continuously adjusting the conditions necessary for conversion.
The researchers are optimistic about the implications of their work and anticipate more detailed data from ongoing simulations.
Looking ahead, the team aims to test the market feasibility of their technology by conducting extended experiments that include various components.
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Kudva expressed the team’s intention to broaden their focus to municipal solid waste sourced from recycling centers. “The lab work is ongoing, concentrating on commercializing this technology and advancing decarbonization in the industry,” she concluded.
As the pollution crisis mounts, efforts like these may represent crucial steps toward reimagining waste as a resource, potentially offering a pathway to a more sustainable future.
