Development of Food Waste Disposal Technology Using Sodium Hydroxide

Abstract

In this research, we focused on the recycling of food waste using sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Pyrolysis of rice, one of the major elements of food waste in Japan, was carried out to obtain carbon material with adsorption ability, together with fuel gases (H2, CH4). As a result, it was possible to convert rice into carbon material while generating fuel gas. With increasing the NaOH addition and temperature, the contents of CO and CO2 decreases, those of H2 and CH4 increased in the generated gas, and the mass of the residue after pyrolysis with NaOH decreases to one-tenth weight of raw rice. The residue after pyrolysis is a carbonaceous material with approximately 80% carbon content, and the residue after pyrolysis with NaOH ( rice sample : NaOH = 1 : 1 ) has smooth porous surface with higher specific surface area (901 m 2 /g) than that after pyrolysis without NaOH (72 m 2 /g).