Overview of Subcritical Water Hydrolysis Technology for Municipal Solid Waste

Garbage Subcritical Water Hydrolysis Technology (Garbage Subcritical Water Pyrolysis)

As a core technical unit for the "Harmless Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste" project under the Ministry of Science and Technology's "13th Five-Year Plan" Key R&D Program, Henan Jufeng was invited to collaborate with Huazhong University of Science and Technology to complete this project. Concurrently, after three years of iterative experiments, the company successfully developed the garbage subcritical water hydrolysis technology in 2021. This technology can convert various organic wastes (such as food waste, animal manure, sludge, rural straw, municipal solid waste, industrial organic waste, garden waste, wet market waste, and other organic wastes) into organic fuel coal and combustible gas ("synthetic natural gas"), achieving the goals of "zero pollution, harmlessness, and complete utilization." Furthermore, the company leverages its research achievements in areas like subcritical water thermal depolymerization and fulvic acid extraction to further enhance the added value of hydrolysis products.

Subcritical water hydrolysis technology for sorted organic components of municipal solid waste is an efficient and environmentally friendly method for harmless treatment and resource utilization. It is a technology that converts organic matter into high-value energy and products under specific conditions. Utilizing subcritical water (conventional temperature 200-370°C, pressure 0.5-3MPa) as the reaction medium, sorted organic waste (such as food waste, animal manure, sludge, agricultural/forestry straw/wood waste, and various organic wastes) undergoes hydrolysis and macromolecular bond cleavage in a sealed system, ultimately transforming into usable products. This technology involves mixing organic waste with subcritical water and utilizing the high-temperature, high-pressure conditions of water to separate harmful substances from organic matter, thereby converting them into reusable resources. It can effectively treat various hazardous organic wastes, such as chemical waste, agricultural waste, and urban waste. During the hydrolysis process, organic matter in the waste can be decomposed into reusable resources like combustible gas, water, carbon dioxide, organic fuel coal, and fertilizer. Simultaneously, harmful substances are also decomposed into harmless products, thereby achieving the resource-oriented treatment of waste.

Subcritical water hydrolysis technology can transform waste into "organic coal" in approximately 15 minutes. It combines multiple advantages of "volume reduction, harmlessness, resource recovery, low carbon footprint, and distributed processing," and has become the preferred route for organic solid waste treatment in small and medium-sized towns recommended jointly by four national ministries and commissions.

Photos of Some Equipment for Municipal Solid Waste Subcritical Water Decomposition