Abstract:
Lack of energy generation raw materials and lack of proper solid waste collection, management
and disposal mechanism create a pressurizing need to tackle the issue. Keeping in mind the
current global scenario a renewable and sustainable solution is required. Therefore, addressing
two of the major problems in Pakistan i.e. energy crisis and solid waste mismanagement the
project highlights an innovative way of energy generation. This project utilizes three major fruits
abundantly cultivated and commonly used for juice extraction. The peels and pomaces of three
fruits apple, pomegranate, orange, and a mixture of all three of them are processed using a
Hydrothermal Carbonization process at 180 oC and a retention time of 2 hours to be used as fuel
for energy generation. Hydrothermal carbonization is a thermochemical conversion process that
can even convert wet feedstock into hydrochar. The product obtained from this process
hydrochar is further analyzed using multiple tests to characterize the fuel properties. The
hydrochar produced is analyzed over several characteristic tests to establish whether or not the
fuel has potential for energy generation. The tests include higher heating vales, proximate
analysis, ultimate analysis and fiber analysis. The applications of this project in industries is also
discussed. The samples have high enough HHV values and since these values do not differ
significantly the mix of all fruits can also be used in industries. While individual fruits give equally
promising results.
