Tomoaki Minowa*, Shigeki Sawayama* and Tomoko Ogi*

* National Institute for Resources and Environment

+ Correspondence should be addressed to Tomoaki Minowa:
(16-3 Onokawa Tukuba-city 305-8569 Japan)

Abstract

Fermentation stillage (moisture 92.7wt%, SS 2.45wt%, TOC 37,186mg/l, pH3.1) of the traditional liquor SHOCHU was treated by low-temperature catalytic gasification using a metal nickel catalyst at 350*C[Celsius degeree] and 19.3MPa. The treated water had no color, its TOC was 337mg/l and pH7.1. The TOC removal reached to higher than 99%, and CH4 and H2 rich fuel gas was produced. Nitrogen in the stillage was almost converted into NH4, dissolved in the treated water. The estimation of chemical equilibrium suggests that nitrogen can be nitrogen gas (N2), not NH3, at the reaction conditions.

Key words: low-temperature catalytic gasification, fermentation stillage of traditional liquor SHOCHU, waste water treatment