Jean-Henry Ferrasse

• Doctor of Engineering
• Aix-Marseille University

Phosphorus is essential for global food production, but intensive agriculture disrupts its natural cycle, increasing reliance on non-renewable sources. A sustainable alternative is recovering phosphorus from waste streams using thermochemical processes. This work investigates the hydrothermal treatment of sewage sludge digestate to explore phosphor...

Energy is one of the essential inputs for socioeconomic , and geo-political strategies in nation building. Among potential interests, lignocellulosic biomasses constitute a prime source of biofuel and other value-added products. Both the thermochemical and biochemical approaches resolve to the degradation of cellulosic biomass into fragments of lig...

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a promising technology for the conversion of high-moisture biomass into a liquid biofuel precursor without predrying treatment. This study investigated the effects of the heating rate (20–110 °C/min) and feedstock composition on phase repartition of the HTL products. HTL tests were carried out using as feedstocks...

La consommation d'Eau Chaude Sanitaire (ECS) devient de plus en plus important, il est donc nécessaire de satisfaire les besoins d'ECS en utilisant des systèmes performants. Pour cela, le dispositif expérimental du laboratoire IUSTI, composé d'une pompe à chaleur et d'un stockage thermique, est utilisé. Dans cette étude, des analyses énergétiques e...

To address the challenges of the energy transition, reducing consumption and optimizing energy production is crucial for all industrial sectors. In the future, water issues will be as important as energy issues, making the optimization of water supply systems critical. The water sector represents large energy consumption for pumping and heating. In...

Hydrofluoric and phosphoric acid streams produced by the microelectronic industry usually present high flow and high contents of phosphorus, nitrogen, fluorine, and organic carbon. This study aims at evaluating the efficiency and suitability of alternative process schemes for the treatment and valorization of hydrofluoric and phosphoric acid stream...

Sewage sludge represents a renewable source of organic carbon and nutrients such as nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P) that can be valorised through the recovery of energy carriers (e.g. biofuels) and fertilizers (N, K, and P precipitates). This review analyses>60 recent studies that have investigated P recovery potential from sewage s...

Global energy security relies on fossil-based resources that are affiliated with the source of global warming, apart from punches of political and economic instabilities. Biomass is a promising alternative carbonaceous feedstock used for the production of clean energy that could have the potential to substitute for fossil fuels. This study aims to...

The increasing attention towards climate change and greenhouse gas emissions makes the exploitation of renewable energy sources one of the key pathways for sustainable power generation or chemical production [...]

We analyze the integration of intermittent renewables-based technologies into an electricity mix comprising of conventional energy. Intermittency is modeled by a contingent electricity market and we introduce demand-side flexibility through the retailing structure. Retailers propose diversified electricity contracts at different prices, but in an i...

Thermal energy counts for a large part of the total energy consumption. To reduce fossil fuel consumption for heat and cold generation, different low temperature heat sources have been considered. Water networks have been considered as a large amount of water flow through it. To measure the thermal potential of the system, this paper provides a met...

The design of bubble column for industrial applications is well known under near ambient pressure and temperature conditions, contrary to high pressure and temperature conditions. Accurate data on the evolution and behaviour of the bubbles is proposed as a basis for the evaluation of the surface area developed in the column and further design of su...

This study provides the first overview in Colombia on energy recovery potential by anaerobic digestion (AD) and dark fermentation (DF) of three different residual biomasses: coffee mucilage (CFM), cocoa mucilage (CCM), and swine manure (SM). First, AD and DF models were developed based on the ADM1 model. Then, simulated biogas production yields wer...

Energy is one of the essential inputs for socio-economic, and geo-political strategies in nation building. Among potential interests, lignocellulosic biomasses constitute a prime source of biofuel and other value-added products. The thermochemical approach resolve to the degradation of cellulosic biomass into fragments of lignin, hemicellulose and...

Dynamic simulation of ultrafiltration process is applied to the treatment of chemical mechanical polishing wastewater from microelectronic industry. The ultrafiltration of nanoparticles (NPs) contained in chemical mechanical polishing wastewater is modelled by using different mathematical equations, which are derived from the literature and optimiz...

For the last 20 years, the field of industrial symbiosis (IS) has raised interest among academics and industries. IS consists of dissimilar entities sharing and valorising underutilised resources such as materials, energy, information, services, or technologies in the view of increasing the industrial system's circularity. Despite the benefits brou...

The European Union has put the concept of circularity at the heart of its strategy for transitioning towards a low-carbon economy. Measures have been taken in order to promote Industrial Symbiosis (IS). However, one of the main barriers to the dissemination of IS remains the exchange of (confidential) data between industries. This paper presents th...

The asbestos-containing waste management is a public health topic for countries which have used this mineral. Treatment of chrysotile (white asbestos), a phyllosilicate from serpentine, crocidolite (blue asbestos, first results on this kind of asbestos), one of the five asbestos varieties of amphibole family and asbestos-containing waste conversion...

Bubbles hydrodynamic in gas–liquid contactor, including bubble size distribution, bubble size and gas–liquid interfacial area, was evaluated as a function of superficial gas velocity, superficial liquid velocity, temperature, pressure and different gases (N 2 and He) and liquids (water and ethanol/water mixture) phases. The results showed that with...

Gas holdup of water/nitrogen, water-phenol/nitrogen and water-phenol/air systems was successfully measured by a method based on the use of a differential pressure sensor installed on a bubble column reactor, in a wide domain of temperature (from 100 to 300 °C) and pressure (from 10 to 30 MPa). These experimental conditions are little or no explored...

The present paper reports on results obtained from experiments carried out in a laboratory-scale anaerobic packed bed biofilm reactor (APBR), with recirculation of the liquid phase, for continuously biohydrogen production via dark fermentation. The reactor was filled with Kaldnes ® biofilm carrier and inoculated with an anaerobic mesophilic sludge...

Surface tension of water/nitrogen and water‐phenol/nitrogen systems was successfully measured by the hanging drop method in a wide domain of temperature (from 100 to 300°C) and pressure (from 4 to 30MPa), conditions little explored literature. Results show that surface tension of water‐phenol mixtures decreases as phenol mass fraction increases. Th...

The effect of acidic conditions (in a pH range of 3 to 6) and temperature on the kinetics of the hydrothermal oxidation of ferrous iron contained in BOF steel slag has been tested in the 150–350°C range for acid acetic concentrations from 0 to 4 M. Reaction progress was monitored with the amount of produced H2. Higher temperature and lower pH are f...

A new process route for the valorization of BOF steel slags combining H2 production and CO2 mineral sequestration is investigated at 300°C (HT) under hydrothermal conditions. A BOF steel slag stored several weeks outdoor on the production site was used as starting material. To serve as a reference, room temperature (RT) carbonation of the same BOF...

The energetic efficiency for the supercritical gasification of biomass is studied for three cases: hydrogen and methane production, heat and electricity cogeneration. Experimental results from the gasification of glucose are used to represent the gasifier. The other unit operations are simulated using the software ProsimPlus through thermodynamic e...

The competitiveness of the second-generation bioethanol by biotechnological process requires an effective and quantitative control of biochemical reactions. In this study, the potential of isothermal calorimetry technique to measure heat and kinetics of a non-homogeneous substrate enzymatic hydrolysis is intended. Using this technique, optimum temp...

This paper summarizes the round-table discussion that was held during the European Congress of Chemical Engineering (ECCE) in Nice, France, in October 2015 on this topic. The panellists come from different fields of chemical engineering and have thus brought in different perspectives. The objective was to determine paths for developing innovative a...

The production of H2 by oxidation of FeO, taken here as model compound for steel slags, has been investigated both in pure water and under acidic aqueous conditions in the 373–573 K temperature range. Whereas after 65 h, H2 yield was negligible in pure water at 423 K, the reaction 3 FeO(s) + H2O(l) → Fe3O4(s) + H2(aq) reached near completion at the...

Dark fermentation systems often show low H2 yields and unstable H2 production, as the result of the variability of microbial dynamics and metabolic pathways. Recent batch investigations have demonstrated that an artificial consortium of two anaerobic bacteria, Clostridium acetobutylicum and Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, may redirect metabol...

This study aims to provide insights into the cavitation and bubble dynamics in liquid CO2 near the critical point. It is inspired by a previous work that reports the absence of dysfunctional behavior during the operation of a test compressor in the two-phase region of CO2. First, several characteristic parameters in the literature have suggested th...

Bubble column reactors are multiphase contactors based on the dispersion of a gas phase in the form of bubbles inside a cylindrical vessel where a liquid or a suspension circulates. Those reactors present many advantages such as good heat and mass transfer rates, no moving parts, compactness, easy operating and low maintenance and operating costs....

Thermal treatment, such as combustion, gasification and pyrolysis, has been proven to be a convenient alternative to conventional sludge disposal technologies. Today, process development implies scaling up and so improving the reactors design. In continuously operated reactors, fresh sewage sludge gets in contact with solid residues (reacted materi...

A residue obtained after the distillation of agricultural alcohol called beet residues is gasified in supercritical water to form a mixture of fuel gas. A parametric study and thermodynamic calculations are first proposed in batch reactor. The results show a significant effect of temperature on the overall mass yields. Gasification efficiencies ran...

The objective of this work is to compare two biomass-to-oil processes: fast pyrolysis and direct liquefaction, using the same biomass (beech sawdust). Fast pyrolysis is conducted in a cyclone reactor (wall temperature between 870 and 1040 K) and direct liquefaction in a 150-mL-autoclave reactor (bulk temperature between 420 and 600 K). Three fracti...

Introduction to the Sludge ContextSludge Drying TechnologiesEnergy Efficiency of Sludge Drying ProcessesThermal Valorization of Sewage SludgeEnergy Efficiency of Thermal Valorization RoutesConclusions References

Sewage sludge gasification deals with the release of nitrogen and sulfur compounds, the main sources for pollutants during the final combustion. In order to handle these compounds, a staged gasification process is proposed. During the low-temperature thermal treatment of the first stage, nitrogen and sulfur compounds are removed from the solid fuel...

In trickling filters for wastewater treatment, hydrodynamic behaviour is affected by the growth of biofilm on the porous medium. Therefore, modelling hydrodynamic behaviour is necessary and efficient to predict the biodegradation of pollutants. In this study, laboratory-scale trickling filters were filled with two different porous media (glass bead...

Limited knowledge exists about the fate of inorganic components, and especially metallic species, present in sewage sludge, upon gasification. This study shows that major elements are mainly retained within the sludge char, whereas minor elements such as Cd, Pb, Zn, As and Hg are partially or completely lost due to volatilization or melting from th...

The present abstract deals with the comparison of two biomass-to-oil processes: fast pyrolysis and subcritical hydrothermal liquefaction. Using the same biomass (beech sawdust), fast pyrolysis was led thanks to the cyclone reactor (wall temperature between 870 and 1040 K) and subcritical hydrothermal liquefaction thanks to a 150-ml-batch-reactor (t...

Wet air oxidation process (WAO) is used for wastewater treatment, especially when it contains high chemical oxygen demand. With non-catalytic processes, temperatures between 200 and 350 °C and pressures between 15 and 30 MPa are generally applied. A method, based on the coupling of simulations and experimental design, is used to compare and optimiz...

The supercritical oil extraction from oleaginous seeds (sunflower and rapeseeds) is presented here through experimental and modelling results. The experimental setup allows an accurate following of the mass of the oil extracted and to derive the experimental influences of pressure, temperature and supercritical CO2 flowrate on the extraction curves...

Gasification of sewage sludge produces combustible gases as well as tar and a solid residue as by-products. This must be taken into account when determining the optimal thermal conditions for the gasification process. In this study, the influence of temperature, heating atmosphere and residence time on the characteristics of the gasified sewage slu...

This study develops a coupling of energetic and experimental design approaches on a given configuration of wet air oxidation process (WAO), applied for wastewater containing a hard chemical oxygen demand (phenol for instance). Taking into account thermodynamic principles and process simulation, the calculation of minimum heat required by the proces...

This work is dedicated to an accurate evaluation of thermodynamic and kinetics aspects of phenol degradation using wet air oxidation process. Phenol is a well known polluting molecule and therefore it is important having data of its behaviour during this process. A view cell is used for the experimental study, with an internal volume of 150 mL, abl...

In wastewater treatment by constructed wetland, the biodegradation capability of the biomass developed in the soil is one of the most important factors. For this kind of treatment unit, soil properties are studied to improve its filtration capacity and hydraulic residence time of the wastewater. The impact of soil properties like porosity and soil...

Sewage sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants represent a significant portion of waste resulting from human activity and it is important to offer new ways of treatment. Thermal gasification of sludge is a promising thermal treatment, particularly because it can lead to a recovery of energy and a drastic reduction in the initial waste volume...

Limited knowledge exists about the fate of inorganic components, and especially metallic species, present in sewage sludge, upon gasification. This study shows that major elements are mainly retained within the sludge char, whereas minor elements such as Cd, Pb, Zn, As and Hg are partially or completely lost due to volatilization or melting from th...

It is now well-known that copper (Cu) can accumulate on the surface of soils upon which pig slurry has been applied. This is due to the high quantity of Cu in pig slurry resulting from its use as a growth promoter in animal feeds. The mobility and bioavailability of Cu from pig slurry spreading can be better predicted by determining the speciation...

The hydrogen world consumption should increase significantly to progressively replace hydrocarbons. Due to its high power density, nuclear reactor should take an important place in this production. This paper focuses on the hydrogen production by thermochemical cycle using the heat available at 900°C of a new generation nuclear reactor. The chosen...

Wet air oxidation process is used to treat wastewater with high chemical oxygen demand. Temperatures up to 350°C and pressures up to 30 MPa, are operated to develop a non-catalytic process. In the literature, there is some data about the phase equilibrium of water-air system but on larger domains and not accurate enough in our range. To study the p...

One of the most complicated tasks in the field of hot gas cleaning is the removal of particles from a complex mixture of degradation products formed during thermal treatment. A robust and completely reliable technology is still to be developed to achieve high efficiencies. In the past few years, significant improvements have been brought to gas cle...

One of the most complicated tasks in the field of hot gas cleaning is the removal of particles from a complex mixture of degradation products formed during thermal treatment. A robust and completely reliable technology is still to be developed to achieve high efficiencies. In the past few years, significant improvements have been brought to gas cle...

The speciation of chromium (Cr) and vanadium (V), two potential pollutants, present as traces in a residue from steel-making operations (BOF slag) and their leaching behavior were studied to assess the environmental compatibility of this waste as a recycled material for road making. A multi techniques approach (XAS, XANES, micro-XANES, micro-XRF an...

Nonisothermal thermogravimetry differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) mounting is intensively used for the determination of kinetic parameters and reaction heat along the chemical transformation of a solid. Nevertheless, when tests are performed with heating rates as high as those encountered in industrial processes, e.g., several tens of K min...

A new experimental technique is described for the determination of desorption characteristics for engineering purposes. A TGA-DSC set-up is used in isothermal mode to achieve the thermal desorption of deformable standard materials like microcrystalline cellulose and kaolin in dry air. Assumptions on heat and mass transfer are made and discussed in...

Since wastewater treatment has been a subject of interest, non-Newtonian flows, such as sludge flows, have been widely studied in the literature, most of the time from a rheological point of view. It is well known that the hydrodynamic behaviour of sludge flows is of prime importance to optimise process parameters of wastewater plants on one hand,...

The proliferation of wastewater treatment plants has become essential to ensure the protection of the natural environment. As a consequence, the production of waste by-products, namely sewage sludge, has increased together with both the unit efficiency levels and with the number of wastewater treatment plants. Since dumping is no longer allowed in...

The thermal decomposition of sewage sludge has been investigated using coupled TG-FTIR for long time experiment (10 h). The exploitation of the resulted data from FTIR is performed by the SIMPLe-to-use interactive self-modelling mixture analysis (SIMPLISMA) method and allows to identify some of the evolved gases and to obtain their relative concent...

Sorption isotherms of Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC), pharmaceutical granules, PolyEtherBlocAmide (PEBA) membrane and sewage sludges were measured at various temperatures using three different experimental gravimetric methods: the saturated salt method, the Dynamic Vapor System (DVS) apparatus and a simultaneous gravimetric and calorimetric measu...

The problem of wastewater treatment plant sewage sludge is becoming crucial. Indeed the quantity of sewage sludge will increase with the population and the economic developments, the rise of the number of treatment plants and their better performance. Sewage sludge treatment is at the moment realized in limited ways. Whatever the future of those wa...

The thermal decomposition of sewage sludge has been investigated using coupled TG–FTIR for long time experiment (10 h). The exploitation of the resulted data from FTIR is performed by the SIMPLe-to-use interactive self-modelling mixture analysis (SIMPLISMA) method and allows to identify some of the evolved gases and to obtain their relative concent...

Whereas indirect agitated drying has been extensively studied for granular materials, little is known in the case of pasty products. We describe an experimental set up specially designed for the investigation of drying kinetics, of heat transfer coefficient evolution, and of the mechanical torque necessary for stirring. This device was applied to m...

In the present paper, an experimental procedure is proposed to measure the total heat of sorption between a solvent and an absorbent The method uses a thermogravimetric balance coupled with a differential scanning calorimeter. The calorimetric signal and the DTG signal are used in a simple model to determine a continuous expression of the total hea...