Poster (EARTH)

[PE1-078] CONVERSION OF AGRICULTURAL WASTES INTO METHANE GAS USING VARIOUS ZEOLITES

○TOMONOBU SAKAKIBARA¹, TAKAAKI WAJIMA ¹ (1. Chiba University)

Keywords:Methane gas, Zeolites, Rice straw, Ceder powder, Pyrolysis

In Japan, there is a large amount of waste from agriculture and forestry to be used as resources. In this study, we examined the conversion of these wastes into methane gas by thermal decomposition using zeolite catalysts . We used rice straws as the waste from agriculture and ceder powders as the wastes from forestry, and used four types of zeolites, NaA,NaX,NaY and HY, with different properties, crystal structure, cation and Si/Al ratio. A sample and zeolite were mixed, and added into the reactor. The reactor was heated at various temperatures for 0 - 6 h under nitrogen atmosphere. The amount and composition of the gas generated during the pyrolysis and the residue were investigated. The results show the conversion of waste samples into methane gas can be improved using zeolites, and the amount of methane gas from ceder powder is larger than that from rice straw, while of residual substance from the cedar powder than is less quantity than that from the rice straw. Faujasite zeolites having Na cation, NaX and NaY, could convert the wastes into the largest amount of methane gas in this experiment above 400 °C, while methane gas did not generated below 300 ° C.