A Sichuan University scholar has created biocoal out of leftover food.

The WCC Daily reported that the university scholar found out that leftover food can be used to create biocoal for electricity, a source that provides more energy per kilo than that which is present in coal used within electric plants.

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The scholar coming from the college of architecture and environment in the university, Lu Hongyan, came up with the idea to use a ton of leftover food.

He turned it into 80 to 120 kilograms of biocoal which was also reviewed and approved by a total of seven experts. The approval was given on April 29, from experts in and outside the province.

Lu used three pieces of equipment, one of which he imported from Germany, to make the biocoal. He spent CNY300000 for the imported hypothermal carbonizer.

Other equipment used included the electric drum wind drying oven and a re-wired vacuum pump.

The process of turning the leftover food into biocoal was demonstrated by the laboratory staff members of the professor.

They placed the leftovers into the hypothermal cabonizer and baked between one to four hours.

The process turned the leftover food into a black, porridge looking substance. After which, the staff members placed the substance into the pump to remove 90 percent of the water and placed it into the oven until results showed something which looked like the soil.

According to Lu, his research staff found out that the optimal time needed to process the leftovers lasted 1 and a half hour inside the carbonizer.

Furthermore, he said that the watery result could be dried at room temperature if necessary.

Professor Lu stated that the process can turn between 40 percent and 60 percent of the leftover food into burnable biocoal.

His research also showed that biocoal could make 6,630 to 7,730 calories of electricity per kilo.

This was higher than the regular coal used for electricity production which was only recording to be at 4,800 to 5,500 calories.

Lu was motivated to conduct the research following the waste recycle system in Germany. He said that he intends to build a factory that could process bigger amounts of leftover food after getting approval.

TagsSichuan University, biocoal, leftover food, Lu Hongyan