Organic solid waste upgrading under natural gas for valuable liquid products formation: Pilot demonstration of a highly integrated catalytic process

An integrated catalytic process for natural-gas-assisted OSW upgrading is fully demonstrated at a pilot scale, which combines the methanolysis, methano-refining and catalytic liquefaction processes through careful process design and catalyst tailoring. Three types of agricultural and forestry wastes including pelleted wood chip, crushed rice straw and crushed corn stover are used as representatives of OSW for at least a 1-month continuous operation. The products are comprehensively analyzed and the indices for quality control in terms of basic, compositional, and fuel properties, as well as elemental and distillation analyses, are monitored and proved to be satisfactory for practical use. Economic assessment and life cycle analysis are also performed. It is validated that the OSW upgrading process under a natural gas atmosphere exhibits favorable feasibility, stability, operational margins and environmental friendliness. This exploration manifests an alternative route for simultaneous energy supply and waste management with great economic and environmental advantages.