Hydrochar production through co-hydrothermal carbonization of water hyacinth and plastic waste

Abstract

The global expansion of the economy and concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and climate change necessitate the exploration of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. Water hyacinth (WH) is globally recognized as one of the most problematic aquatic weeds, posing significant challenges to urban management by clogging waterways, polluting water sources, and causing harm to ecosystems. However, water hyacinth is enriched with hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin, making it a noteworthy and superior biomass resource. Hence, this study focuses on the hydrothermal carbonization of water hyacinth into a renewable fuel source, the hydrochar. Hydrothermal treatment was implemented in this work as it can treat wet biomass, in this case, the water hyacinth, without the need of energy-extensive drying process. Plastic waste (PW), or more specifically low-density polyethylene (LDPE), was added as the co-feedstock during the HTC process with the purpose to boost the higher heating value (HHV) of the end product. The co-hydrothermal carbonization (co-HTC) process of the mixture of WH and PW at various ratios and temperatures were conducted to investigate the optimal HTC condition for high hydrochar yields. As the result, the highest hydrochar yield of 29.23 wt% was obtained with 12.5% LDPE substitution percentage, at 200 °C after a holding time of 90 min. However, in term of energy recovery efficiency (ER), the highest efficiency (27.28%) was achieved with 12.5% LDPE substitution percentage at 260 °C. The HHV value of the hydrochar produced in this work is in the range of 17.71-24.69 MJ/kg. In summary, the co-HTC of WH and LDPE could definitely be a promising alternative to bridge the gap from solid waste to renewable fuels.