The technical, economic, and environmental assessment of solvothermal liquefaction processes: An experimental and simulation study on the influence of solvent reichardt parameter

This study explored solvothermal liquefaction (STL) as a viable method for repurposing food waste (FW). Various solvents with different Reichardt parameters were used to facilitate liquefaction, and their impacts on biocrude yields were analyzed. Notably, among the solvents investigated, water and ethanol yielded the highest biocrude yields of 24.7 wt% and 23.6 wt%, respectively. Synergistic effects from combining these solvents were also observed, resulting in enhanced biocrude yields. The STL process was simulated using ASPEN Plus to evaluate its economic feasibility, including sensitivity analysis on input data. Additionally, a negative non-linear correlation was found between net greenhouse emissions and processing capacity. The study determined that the environmental performance of STL becomes less competitive compared to FW landfilling when process capacity falls below a minimum level. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of STL technology for FW management, offering both economic and environmental benefits.