Our research team was able to produce bio-oil with blends of swine manure and cellulosic biomass. Laboratorial tests showed that adding cellulosic materials like sawdust and corn stover did not significantly affect the bio-oil formation from swine manure using the thermochemical process.
Most operation parameters for swine manure tests were also suitable for producing bio-oil from mixtures of swine manure and cellulosic biomass. Adding catalysts such as KOH could increase the refined oil yield.
A large portion of nutrients that have fertilizer value (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) remained in the post-process water, and thus, could be extracted as fertilizer with appropriate methods.
Based on the measured oil yields, the manure from a hog from birth to market will produce 1/4 to 1/3 barrels of bio-crude oil; and the TCC process kills pathogens and largely removes odors associated with swine manure. Adding cellulosic materials may help reduce the cost of dewatering or concentrating the swine manure.
