Food Waste Remediation for Field Kitchens by Hydrothermal Liquefaction

Studies have shown that solid waste is generated at a rate of 3–4 lbs per person per day for base camp operations. A typical maneuver battalion of 550 soldiers will produce about 2000 lbs of waste per day. Much of this waste is food waste, with high water content and low energy content. We propose to develop a hydrothermal liquefaction system for the conversion of food waste and slop to fuel. While most alternative fuel conversion processes need a dry feedstock, hydrothermal liquefaction requires a high water content feed to operate efficiently. The proposed system will create a fuel capable of being used on-site in a dual-fuel diesel engine. In Phase I, a batch reactor will be used to demonstrate the feasibility of producing fuel from a heterogeneous, low energy content, waste stream. Experiments will be performed on the fuel produced to determine the properties and potential applications for the fuel. More specifically, the suitability of the fuel as a drop-in replacement for JP-8 in a dual-fuel diesel engine will be assessed. In Phase II, the optimized process will be scaled up to pilot scale and integrated with the waste-to-energy process on-site.