TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF CHARCOAL-WASTE ENGINE OIL-WATER SLURRY FOR SUSTAINABLE SYNGAS PRODUCTION IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

In recent years, the demand for alternative fuel sources in Pakistan has increased significantly. Concurrently, large quantities of waste engine oil are generated, creating both, environmental challenges and opportunities for energy recovery. This study evaluates the technical feasibility of utilizing a charcoal-waste engine oil-water slurry mixture as a feedstock for the syngas production through gasification. Five different slurries were prepared using varying ratio of charcoal to waste engine oil, along with water and additives. Proximate analyses was conducted to determine the moisture content, volatile matter, ash, and fixed carbon, while ultimate analysis assessed elemental composition to estimate potential syngas yields. The results indicate that increasing the proportion of waste engine oil leads to higher volatile matter content and improved energy density. Conversely, increasing the charcoal fraction enhances fixed carbon content while maintaining stable combustion characteristics. Among the tested samples, Sample 4 demonstrated the best overall performance, exhibiting highest higher heating value of 26.77 MJ/kg and lower heating value of 24.91 MJ/kg. Sample 1 was identified as second most promising candidate due to its high heating value (26.42 MJ/kg), elevated fixed carbon content, and balanced fuel properties. Overall, finding suggest that charcoal-waste engine oil- water slurry fuels possess sufficient energy density, combustion stability, and favorable elemental composition, making them a viable and sustainable feedstock for syngas production via gasification