Fuel Characterization and Energy Prediction of Malaysian Poultry Processing

Poultry Processing Waste Sludge (PPWS) is one of the largest contributors of waste material in Malaysia. The use of this waste material can be an effective alternative fuel solution, as it can not only contributes as an energy source but also solves environmental issues related to PPWS disposal. This study examines the utilization of PPWS as fuel by investigating its fuel characteristics and developing a new empirical model using multiple regression analysis to predict higher heating value from its ultimate analysis results. An extensive number of PPWS samples were collected from three poultry processing wastewater treatment plants in Malaysia. The samples were analyzed for their heating values and key elemental compositions. The measured energy content in PPWS (27-34 MJ kg-1) is comparable to coal and can therefore be proposed to be used as an alternative fuel in power plants. By applying multiple regression analysis on the experimental results, the relevant coefficients of the model equation was determined. A validation of the newly developed correlation, HHV = 230 C%+761 H%+1247 N%+14259 indicates a very good fit between the measured and predicted values whereby the correlation coefficient was found to be 0.91. This model can be considered as an excellent tool to predict the higher heating value of PPWS from an ultimate analysis and is potentially helpful for engineers and researchers.