A Multi-kilogram Capacity Calorimeter For Heterogeneous Materials

Area of Science:

• Thermochemistry
• Environmental Science
• Waste Management

Background:

• Accurate determination of municipal solid waste (MSW) combustion enthalpy is crucial for waste-to-energy technologies.
• Existing calorimeters are often limited in sample size, hindering the analysis of representative MSW quantities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and construct a large-capacity calorimeter capable of measuring the enthalpies of combustion for kilogram-size MSW samples.
• To ensure complete combustion of the organic fraction of MSW samples.

Main Methods:

• Development of a large-capacity calorimeter operating with flowing oxygen near atmospheric pressure.
• Calibration using microcrystalline cellulose to assess calorimeter precision.
• Measurement of enthalpy of combustion for processed MSW samples.

Main Results:

• Achieved complete combustion of the organic fraction of MSW samples to over 99.9%.
• Calibration measurements using microcrystalline cellulose showed a percent coefficient of variation (% CV) of 0.2%.
• MSW sample combustion enthalpy measurements yielded a % CV of 0.4%, with estimated combined systematic errors below 0.4%.

Conclusions:

• The designed calorimeter reliably determines the enthalpy of combustion for large MSW samples with high precision and accuracy.
• The results support the use of this calorimeter for detailed characterization of MSW for energy recovery applications.
• The low % CV and minimal systematic errors demonstrate the suitability of the calorimeter for rigorous scientific investigation.