The hydrothermal treatment converts high moisture content
solid wastes into dried usable products by using low energy consumption.
It can treat various input materials from waste food to
sewage sludge, and produce a wide range of products ranging from
solid fuel to liquid fertilizers [17].
A 3-m3 commercial-scale plant has been operating in Japan that
treats the wastes collected from nearby medical facilities. It is
capable of processing up to 1 ton of MSW per batch and applying
medium-pressure saturated steam at approximately 2 MPa to a
stirred reactor for about one hour. A total of three hours is required
to complete the process including waste loading and unloading.