Call: +34 974 292 649
Email: joanjoma@unizar.es
Address: Escuela Politécnica Superior Crta de Cuarte, s/n. E-22071 Huesca – Spain
ABOUT ME
Research Interests
My research interests lie primarily in producing biomass-derived carbon materials through thermochemical conversion processes. These renewable-based carbons, which can replace the currently dominant fossil fuel-intensive materials, and then drive innovative and sustainable technologies with circular economy practices.
I began my research career by working on thermochemical conversion of biomass, with a special focus on the behaviour and kinetics of biomass pyrolysis and gasification. In the last years, however, I directed my research activity towards the production of biomass-derived chars for biochar (i.e., char added to soil) and other value-added applications. Since the economic feasibility of large-scale biochar production systems is still unclear (the potential agronomic and environmental benefits of biochar in terms of profit are difficult to quantify), developing biochar-derived engineered carbons for alternative uses other than soil amendment can significantly increase the value chain of the whole system, as well as generate new technologies for biomass upcycling. Among the potential uses of biochar-derived carbons, I particularly centred my attention on three research topics: adsorption in gas phase (e.g., CO2 adsorption in postcombustion conditions), heterogeneous catalysis (e.g., ex situ pyrolysis vapours upgrading), and carbon-based electrodes for energy storage applications (e.g., post-lithium Na- and K-ion batteries).
PUBLICATIONS
2007
Manyà, Joan Josep; Ruiz, Joaquín; Arauzo, Jesús
Some peculiarities of conventional pyrolysis of several agricultural residues in a packed bed reactor Journal Article
In: vol. 46, no. 26, pp. 9061–9070, 2007, ISSN: 08885885.
@article{Manya2007,
title = {Some peculiarities of conventional pyrolysis of several agricultural residues in a packed bed reactor},
author = {Joan Josep Manyà and Joaquín Ruiz and Jesús Arauzo},
url = {https://pubs.acs.org/sharingguidelines},
doi = {10.1021/ie070811c},
issn = {08885885},
year = {2007},
date = {2007-12-01},
booktitle = {Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research},
volume = {46},
number = {26},
pages = {9061--9070},
publisher = {American Chemical Society},
abstract = {The pyrolytic behavior of four agricultural wastes which are very abundant in Spain (almond shells, wheat straw, grape refuse, and olive stones) has been investigated using a bench scale system. Conventional pyrolysis experiments were performed in a packed bed reactor (58 mm i.d.) at 5, 10, 15, and 30 K min -1 for a final temperature of 923 K. Temperature profiles, conversion times, product yields (gases, liquids, and char), and gas composition have been analyzed to investigate the influence of the biomass composition and the operating conditions on the process. Large differences were noted in the pyrolysis outputs when the heating rate is increased to 30 K min-1. In the case of almond shell samples, higher devolatilization rates accompanied by an increase in secondary charring reactions were observed at 30 K min -1, probably due to the chemical composition of the inorganic fraction present in the almond shells. In addition, when the heating rate is increased to 30 K min-1, the lignin content does not seem to have a substantial effect on the product distribution. This fact suggests that this heating rate value could be a heating requirement in which the majority of pyrolysis does not occur in the low-temperature region. textcopyright 2007 American Chemical Society.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The pyrolytic behavior of four agricultural wastes which are very abundant in Spain (almond shells, wheat straw, grape refuse, and olive stones) has been investigated using a bench scale system. Conventional pyrolysis experiments were performed in a packed bed reactor (58 mm i.d.) at 5, 10, 15, and 30 K min -1 for a final temperature of 923 K. Temperature profiles, conversion times, product yields (gases, liquids, and char), and gas composition have been analyzed to investigate the influence of the biomass composition and the operating conditions on the process. Large differences were noted in the pyrolysis outputs when the heating rate is increased to 30 K min-1. In the case of almond shell samples, higher devolatilization rates accompanied by an increase in secondary charring reactions were observed at 30 K min -1, probably due to the chemical composition of the inorganic fraction present in the almond shells. In addition, when the heating rate is increased to 30 K min-1, the lignin content does not seem to have a substantial effect on the product distribution. This fact suggests that this heating rate value could be a heating requirement in which the majority of pyrolysis does not occur in the low-temperature region. textcopyright 2007 American Chemical Society.
Aznar, María; González, Ángel E; Manyà, Joan Josep; Sánchez, José Luis; Murillo, María Benita
Understanding the effect of the transition period during the air gasification of dried sewage sludge in a fluidized bed reactor Journal Article
In: International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering, vol. 5, 2007, ISSN: 15426580.
@article{Aznar2007,
title = {Understanding the effect of the transition period during the air gasification of dried sewage sludge in a fluidized bed reactor},
author = {María Aznar and Ángel E González and Joan Josep Manyà and José Luis Sánchez and María Benita Murillo},
doi = {10.2202/1542-6580.1410},
issn = {15426580},
year = {2007},
date = {2007-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering},
volume = {5},
publisher = {Walter de Gruyter GmbH},
abstract = {Air gasification of dried sewage sludge (DSS) in a fluidized bed has been studied as an effective alternative for the management of this material in a usable way. Nevertheless, one of the major issues in this technology is to deal with the tar formed during the process. To minimize the tar production, it is very important to optimize the operating conditions. In a previous work (Manyà et al, Energy Fuels, Vol. 19, 629-636, 2005) some unexpected results, in which tar production increases with the equivalence ratio, have been obtained. As it has been mentioned in that work, tar production could present unexpected trends while the bed composition changes from sand to a mixture of char and sand. Ashes contained in char have catalytic active metals which could promote gasification reactions. As the char content in the bed increases, the catalytic activity in the reactor could increase too, until the steady state is achieved. The aim of this work is to characterize the non-stationary period and its influence on the overall results obtained from gasification tests. Experiments have been carried out in a laboratory-scale BFB reactor at atmospheric pressure and at a reactor temperature of 1123 K with an equivalent ratio of 30%. Results show that at the beginning of the experiments the tar production was higher, until the steady state is reached. The gasification study has been enhanced with an analysis of tar composition by means of GC/MS and GC/FID. An effect of the transition period has been observed in tar composition also. The nitrogen aromatics percent increased with time whereas the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon decreased. Copyright textcopyright 2007 The Berkeley Electronic Press. All rights reserved.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Air gasification of dried sewage sludge (DSS) in a fluidized bed has been studied as an effective alternative for the management of this material in a usable way. Nevertheless, one of the major issues in this technology is to deal with the tar formed during the process. To minimize the tar production, it is very important to optimize the operating conditions. In a previous work (Manyà et al, Energy Fuels, Vol. 19, 629-636, 2005) some unexpected results, in which tar production increases with the equivalence ratio, have been obtained. As it has been mentioned in that work, tar production could present unexpected trends while the bed composition changes from sand to a mixture of char and sand. Ashes contained in char have catalytic active metals which could promote gasification reactions. As the char content in the bed increases, the catalytic activity in the reactor could increase too, until the steady state is achieved. The aim of this work is to characterize the non-stationary period and its influence on the overall results obtained from gasification tests. Experiments have been carried out in a laboratory-scale BFB reactor at atmospheric pressure and at a reactor temperature of 1123 K with an equivalent ratio of 30%. Results show that at the beginning of the experiments the tar production was higher, until the steady state is reached. The gasification study has been enhanced with an analysis of tar composition by means of GC/MS and GC/FID. An effect of the transition period has been observed in tar composition also. The nitrogen aromatics percent increased with time whereas the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon decreased. Copyright textcopyright 2007 The Berkeley Electronic Press. All rights reserved.
2006
Manyà, Joan Josep; Aznar, María; Sánchez, José Luis; Arauzo, Jesús; Murillo, María Benita
Further experiments on sewage sludge air gasification: Influence of the nonstationary period on the overall results Journal Article
In: Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, vol. 45, no. 21, pp. 7313–7320, 2006, ISSN: 08885885.
@article{Manya2006a,
title = {Further experiments on sewage sludge air gasification: Influence of the nonstationary period on the overall results},
author = {Joan Josep Manyà and María Aznar and José Luis Sánchez and Jesús Arauzo and María Benita Murillo},
url = {https://pubs.acs.org/sharingguidelines},
doi = {10.1021/ie0605027},
issn = {08885885},
year = {2006},
date = {2006-10-01},
journal = {Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research},
volume = {45},
number = {21},
pages = {7313--7320},
publisher = {American Chemical Society},
abstract = {In the present study, the gasification with air of dried sewage sludge (DSS) was experimentally investigated using a bubbling fluidized bed reactor. The experimental work analyzed the effect on the DSS gasification tests of the gas residence time (as a function of both the bed height and the superficial air velocity) and the potential catalytic role of the DSS ashes. Furthermore, the influence of the nonstationary period on the accumulated tar production was analyzed. The results show that a longer gas residence time improves the gas efficiency process. A decrease in tar production and an increase in H 2 content in the raw gas were observed when a mixture of sand and DSS ashes was used as an initial bed. These results confirm the catalytic effect of DSS ashes, which would be able for catalytic applications. The influence of the nonstationary period on the accumulated tar production was minimized when the experiment length was extended. This finding could confirm the higher tar production during this period. textcopyright 2006 American Chemical Society.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In the present study, the gasification with air of dried sewage sludge (DSS) was experimentally investigated using a bubbling fluidized bed reactor. The experimental work analyzed the effect on the DSS gasification tests of the gas residence time (as a function of both the bed height and the superficial air velocity) and the potential catalytic role of the DSS ashes. Furthermore, the influence of the nonstationary period on the accumulated tar production was analyzed. The results show that a longer gas residence time improves the gas efficiency process. A decrease in tar production and an increase in H 2 content in the raw gas were observed when a mixture of sand and DSS ashes was used as an initial bed. These results confirm the catalytic effect of DSS ashes, which would be able for catalytic applications. The influence of the nonstationary period on the accumulated tar production was minimized when the experiment length was extended. This finding could confirm the higher tar production during this period. textcopyright 2006 American Chemical Society.
Manyà, Joan Josep; Sánchez, José Luis; Ábrego, Javier; Gonzalo, Alberto; Arauzo, Jesús
Influence of gas residence time and air ratio on the air gasification of dried sewage sludge in a bubbling fluidised bed Journal Article
In: Fuel, vol. 85, no. 14-15, pp. 2027–2033, 2006, ISSN: 00162361.
@article{Manya2006b,
title = {Influence of gas residence time and air ratio on the air gasification of dried sewage sludge in a bubbling fluidised bed},
author = {Joan Josep Manyà and José Luis Sánchez and Javier Ábrego and Alberto Gonzalo and Jesús Arauzo},
doi = {10.1016/j.fuel.2006.04.008},
issn = {00162361},
year = {2006},
date = {2006-10-01},
journal = {Fuel},
volume = {85},
number = {14-15},
pages = {2027--2033},
publisher = {Elsevier},
abstract = {Because little information is available about sewage sludge gasification in a bubbling fluidised bed (BFB), further experiments are required to quantify the power generation potential of dried sewage sludge (DSS) as well as to evaluate the optimum conditions for its gasification. In this work, the influence of the bed height on the process was experimentally determined using a laboratory-scale BFB reactor. The gasification tests were performed at different values of equivalence ratio ($łambda$) and at two values of constant bed height (150 and 300 mm). Attention was focused on the effect of increasing bed height on the gas composition, average cold gas efficiency, and product distribution. Results obtained in this study show that a bed height increase improves the efficiency of the DSS gasification process. This fact could be explained because the high ash content of DSS represents an obstacle to the gas diffusion. textcopyright 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Because little information is available about sewage sludge gasification in a bubbling fluidised bed (BFB), further experiments are required to quantify the power generation potential of dried sewage sludge (DSS) as well as to evaluate the optimum conditions for its gasification. In this work, the influence of the bed height on the process was experimentally determined using a laboratory-scale BFB reactor. The gasification tests were performed at different values of equivalence ratio ($łambda$) and at two values of constant bed height (150 and 300 mm). Attention was focused on the effect of increasing bed height on the gas composition, average cold gas efficiency, and product distribution. Results obtained in this study show that a bed height increase improves the efficiency of the DSS gasification process. This fact could be explained because the high ash content of DSS represents an obstacle to the gas diffusion. textcopyright 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
2005
Manyà, Joan Josep; Sánchez, José Luis; Gonzalo, Alberto; Arauzo, Jesús
Air gasification of dried sewage sludge in a fluidized bed: Effect of the operating conditions and in-bed use of alumina Journal Article
In: Energy and Fuels, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 629–636, 2005, ISSN: 08870624.
@article{Manya2005,
title = {Air gasification of dried sewage sludge in a fluidized bed: Effect of the operating conditions and in-bed use of alumina},
author = {Joan Josep Manyà and José Luis Sánchez and Alberto Gonzalo and Jesús Arauzo},
url = {https://pubs.acs.org/sharingguidelines},
doi = {10.1021/ef0497614},
issn = {08870624},
year = {2005},
date = {2005-03-01},
journal = {Energy and Fuels},
volume = {19},
number = {2},
pages = {629--636},
publisher = {American Chemical Society},
abstract = {Sewage sludge has recently become a particularly important problem all over the world because of its harmful impact on the environment. The consequent need to develop alternative processes for the use of dried sewage sludge for energy purposes, such as gasification, requires experimental tests in order to quantify the potential energy power of the sludge, as well as to evaluate the optimum conditions for its gasification. There is, however, little information available. In this study, the gasification with air of dried sewage sludge was experimentally investigated using a bubbling fluidized bed. Attention was focused on the influence of the temperature (750-850 °C), the equivalence ratio (25-35%), and the fluidizing velocity (5, 8, and 11 times the value of Umf) on the product yields, gas composition, thermal efficiency, and tar content. The results obtained show the potential for using sewage sludge gasification with air as an option for energy recovery and waste treatment. However, the high tar yield obtained needs to be reduced. Consequently, experiments involving the in-bed use of alumina were carried out. This primary measure has proven effective for tar removal (the content decreases by nearly 40% with in-bed use of alumina at 5 wt%). textcopyright 2005 American Chemical Society.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Sewage sludge has recently become a particularly important problem all over the world because of its harmful impact on the environment. The consequent need to develop alternative processes for the use of dried sewage sludge for energy purposes, such as gasification, requires experimental tests in order to quantify the potential energy power of the sludge, as well as to evaluate the optimum conditions for its gasification. There is, however, little information available. In this study, the gasification with air of dried sewage sludge was experimentally investigated using a bubbling fluidized bed. Attention was focused on the influence of the temperature (750-850 °C), the equivalence ratio (25-35%), and the fluidizing velocity (5, 8, and 11 times the value of Umf) on the product yields, gas composition, thermal efficiency, and tar content. The results obtained show the potential for using sewage sludge gasification with air as an option for energy recovery and waste treatment. However, the high tar yield obtained needs to be reduced. Consequently, experiments involving the in-bed use of alumina were carried out. This primary measure has proven effective for tar removal (the content decreases by nearly 40% with in-bed use of alumina at 5 wt%). textcopyright 2005 American Chemical Society.