Waste Valorization of Industrial Oil-Absorbing Materials: Synergistic Combustion with Wood Biomass Pellets to Optimize Syngas Production

Improper disposal of industrial oily waste is environmentally hazardous, yet it constitutes a valuable resource owing to its higher energy density and hydrocarbon content. To tackle this dual issue, the coconversion of the oily waste and biomass was proposed within a porous media reactor, thereby turning waste into energy. An investigation was conducted on the effects of inlet gas conditions, oil-absorbing material properties, and liquid parameters on the temperature distribution and syngas production. The results indicate that the increased air velocity increases the combustion temperature while reducing the reaction time. And the mole fraction of hydrogen reaches its maximum value at an intermediate velocity of 8 cm/s. When methane is employed as an auxiliary fuel, the heating value of syngas significantly increases, and the hydrogen production decreases. The increasing pore diameter of the felt expands the high-temperature zone, which leads to a higher syngas production. As the felt thickness increases, the mole fraction of hydrogen initially rises before decreasing. Although wool felt increases the combustion temperature and reaction time, the hydrogen production is significantly lower than that of the PP-1. The increase in soybean oil volume reduces hydrogen production, while ethanol exhibits the opposite behavior, achieving a maximum value of 13.7%. At a soybean oil-to-ethanol blending ratio of 2:1, the heating value of syngas is higher. This work provides an efficient solution for the environmental treatment of oily wastes, which also demonstrates significant potential for low-cost hydrogen production.