Sunday, May 4, 2008
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Screening and optimizing enzymatic liquefaction of designed household waste for gasification

Jacob W. Jensen1, Claus Felby1, Henning Jørgensen1, and Nanna Nørholm2. (1) Forest and Landscape, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, Frb. C., Denmark, (2) DONG Energy A/S, Kraftværksvej 53, Fredericia, Denmark

The amount of municipal household waste is increasing in the developed part of the world. This is an environmental problem but also holds a large potential for energy production. A solid-liquid system for gasification of waste material is to be developed in Denmark based on cross-disciplinary research effort. This system depends on liquefaction of solid household waste for feeding a gasifier. The aim of this project is to develop a technique suitable for liquefying a heterogeneous-material by thermal and enzymatic hydrolysis.

Different commercial enzymes have been screened for their effect on liquefaction of municipal after thermal treatment of the material at 90o C for half an hour. The enzymes used include a range of commercial proteases, cellulases, amylases and pectinases. These enzymes are responsible for the hydrolysis of proteins, cellulose, starch and carbohydrates, respectively. Small batches of predefined organic waste were used for the identification of critical enzyme activities and bottlenecks in the enzymatic liquefaction of municipal waste. The reported results are composition of the waste material before and after liquefaction, rheological properties and end-product content


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