Quantification of Total Organic Carbon in Ashes from Smoldering Combustion of Sewage Sludge via a Thermal Treatment—TGA Method
Shan Cheng, Xiangpeng Gao, Liwen Cao, Quanbin Wang, Yu Qiao
Abstract
for 1 h, followed by ultimate analysis of both the raw ashes and the thermally treated ashes. This enables the quantification of carbon released during thermal treatment. The second step is nonisothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the thermally treated ashes, in which the samples are heated to 900 °C at 10 °C/min in air. The weight losses at 310-500 °C are confirmed to be caused by organic carbon oxidation, allowing us to determine the contents of carbon retained in the thermally treated ashes. The sums of these two portions of carbon represent the contents of TOC in the raw ashes, which are ∼0.85-6.52 wt % (dry basis), depending on their locations and particle sizes. The two-step (thermal treatment-TGA) method is validated via a method that includes acid washing of the thermally treated ashes, ultimate analysis of the acid-washed ashes, and TOC analysis of the leachates. The two-step method is simple and accurate and, importantly, provides thorough information on the thermal behavior of the raw and thermally treated ashes.