Vivian Mau

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev | bgu · Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research (ZIWR)

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is an emerging technology that may potentially address sanitation problems and energy scarcity. However, the significance of the parameters that govern HTC (e.g., temperature and time) is not fully understood, in particular for human excreta. A simplified coalification model was used to describe the 'strength' of th...

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of raw and anaerobically digested (AD) manure with either water or whey was studied, with the goal of recovering energy and nutrients. Specifically, the impacts of HTC reaction temperature (180–240 °C), solid feedstock, and type of liquid on hydrochar quality and aqueous phase properties were tested. Of the hydrocha...

The conversion of poultry litter to hydrochar has been proposed for stabilization of the soils and to eliminate pathogens. Still, research on the hydrochar's effect on soil properties as a function of production temperature, and its direct use with plants is limited in general and even less so on poultry litter. We characterized poultry litter hydr...

The conversion of poultry litter to hydrochar has been proposed for stabilization of the soils and to eliminate pathogens. Still, research on the hydrochar's effect on soil properties as a function of production temperature, and its direct use with plants is limited in general and even less so on poultry litter. We characterized poultry litter hydr...

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has received much attention in recent years as a process to convert wet organic waste into carbon-rich hydrochar. The process also generates an aqueous phase that is still largely considered a burden. The success of HTC is dependent on finding solutions for the aqueous phase. In the present study, we provide the fir...

Detailed assessment of hydrochar wetting properties, which could provide an essential understanding of underlying mechanisms during its application to soils, is lacking. We characterized hydrochar produced from hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) performed on poultry litter at various temperatures and for different times in terms of hydrophobicity and...

Poor sanitation due to improper treatment of human excreta, and energy scarcity are global problems with only partial solutions. Thus, feasible conversion of human excreta into safe, reusable “products” and renewable energy could be advantageous. The research objectives were to study the properties and major chemical processes occurring during hydr...

Growing amounts of poultry litter call for improved treatment solutions. Its conversion to renewable energy can offer a solution while concomitantly reducing environmental impact and reliance on fossil fuels. We compared the production and combustion of biochar by slow pyrolysis to that of hydrochar by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) in terms of c...