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Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ
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Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2018) | Viewed by 94680

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mejdi Jeguirim

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Guest Editor
Institut de Science des Matériaux de Mulhouse (IS2M), Université de Haute-Alsace, CNRS, UMR 7361, 68093 Mulhouse, France
Interests: biomass valorization: pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion of different biomasses, including agriculture residues and agro-industrial by-products; thermal degradation mechanisms and kinetics; gas emission analysis; exhaust gas treatment: exhaust gas treatment in fixed and mobile sources; NOx and soot abatement; volatile organic compound elimination
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lionel Limousy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Université de Haute-Alsace, Université de Strasbourg, IS2M, CNRS, UMR7361, 3b rue Alfred Werner, F68100 Mulhouse, France
Interests: Biomass conversion and valorization; carbon materials; biological and physicochemical wastewater treatments; adsorption of pollutants; chemical engineering and processing; batch and continuous reactors; design synthesis and characterization of carbon adsorbents (chars, activated carbons, composite materials)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

“Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ”is a continuation of the previous and successful Special Issue “Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications”.

Biomass can be converted to energy, biofuels, and bioproducts via thermochemical conversion processes, such as combustion, pyrolysis, and gasification. Combustion technology is the most widely applied on an industrial scale. However, biomass gasification and pyrolysis processes are still in research and development stage. The major products from these processes are syngas, bio-oil and char (called also biochar for agronomic application). Among these products, biomass chars have received an increasing attention for different applications, such as gasification, co-combustion, catalysts or adsorbents precursor, soil amendment, carbon fuel cells, supercapacitors.

This Special Issue provides an overview for biomass chars production methods (pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonization, etc.), the characterization techniques (Scanning Electronic Microscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence, Nitrogen adsorption, Raman Spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Temperature Programmed Desorption and Mass Spectrometry, etc.), their properties and their suitable recovery processes.

Prof. Mejdi Jeguirim
Prof. Lionel Limousy
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biomass
  • thermochemical conversion
  • chars
  • morphological, textural and structural properties
  • surface chemistry
  • gasification
  • soil amendment
  • reactivity

Published Papers (22 papers)

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Editorial

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6 pages, 196 KiB  
Editorial
Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications II
by Mejdi Jeguirim and Lionel Limousy
Energies 2019, 12(3), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12030384 - 25 Jan 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1858
Abstract
This Special Issue of Energies contains the successful invited submissions [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

13 pages, 861 KiB  
Article
CO2 and CH4 Adsorption Behavior of Biomass-Based Activated Carbons
by Deneb Peredo-Mancilla, Imen Ghouma, Cecile Hort, Camelia Matei Ghimbeu, Mejdi Jeguirim and David Bessieres
Energies 2018, 11(11), 3136; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11113136 - 13 Nov 2018
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 3516
Abstract
The aim of the present work is to study the effect of different activation methods for the production of a biomass-based activated carbon on the CO 2 and CH 4 adsorption. The influence of the activation method on the adsorption uptake was studied [...] Read more.
The aim of the present work is to study the effect of different activation methods for the production of a biomass-based activated carbon on the CO 2 and CH 4 adsorption. The influence of the activation method on the adsorption uptake was studied using three activated carbons obtained by different activation methods (H 3 PO 4 chemical activation and H 2 O and CO 2 physical activation) of olive stones. Methane and carbon dioxide pure gas adsorption experiments were carried out at two working temperatures (303.15 and 323.15 K). The influence of the activation method on the adsorption uptake was studied in terms of both textural properties and surface chemistry. For the three adsorbents, the CO 2 adsorption was more important than that of CH 4 . The chemically-activated carbon presented a higher specific surface area and micropore volume, which led to a higher adsorption capacity of both CO 2 and CH 4 . For methane adsorption, the presence of mesopores facilitated the diffusion of the gas molecules into the micropores. In the case of carbon dioxide adsorption, the presence of more oxygen groups on the water vapor-activated carbon enhanced its adsorption capacity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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24 pages, 3137 KiB  
Article
Biochar and Biomass Ash as a Soil Ameliorant: The Effect on Selected Soil Properties and Yield of Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus)
by Bogdan Saletnik, Grzegorz Zagula, Marcin Bajcar, Maria Czernicka and Czeslaw Puchalski
Energies 2018, 11(10), 2535; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11102535 - 22 Sep 2018
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 4117
Abstract
We assess the possibility of using biochar and ash from plant biomass to fertilise giant miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus). The paper concerns the optimisation of the combination of fertiliser applications of the aforementioned materials in the context of the plant yield [...] Read more.
We assess the possibility of using biochar and ash from plant biomass to fertilise giant miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus). The paper concerns the optimisation of the combination of fertiliser applications of the aforementioned materials in the context of the plant yield obtained. There was an increase in yield of 8–68% over the two years of research when compared with the control plots. It was found that the application of biochar, ash from biomass and a combination of the two at appropriate rates as a soil additive can substitute for classic mineral fertilisers and strengthen the ecological aspects of energy crop cultivation. The interpretation of the results obtained enabled the selection of optimum fertiliser applications, resulting in a significant increase in the yield of plants and an improvement in soil chemical properties. It was found that the highest yield of dry matter of giant miscanthus plants, after both the first and second year of cultivation, was obtained by applying the fertiliser containing ash at a rate of 1.5 t ha−1, together with biocarbon and the combination of biochar and ash at a rate of 1.5 t ha−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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16 pages, 7762 KiB  
Article
Influence of NaCl Concentration on Food-Waste Biochar Structure and Templating Effects
by Ye-Eun Lee, Jun-Ho Jo, I-Tae Kim and Yeong-Seok Yoo
Energies 2018, 11(9), 2341; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11092341 - 05 Sep 2018
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4032
Abstract
Food-waste-derived biochar structures obtained through pyrolysis and with different NaCl concentrations were investigated. Increased NaCl concentration in the samples inhibited cellulose and lignin decomposition, ultimately increasing the biochar yield by 2.7% for 20%-NaCl concentration. NaCl added in solution state exhibited templating effects, with [...] Read more.
Food-waste-derived biochar structures obtained through pyrolysis and with different NaCl concentrations were investigated. Increased NaCl concentration in the samples inhibited cellulose and lignin decomposition, ultimately increasing the biochar yield by 2.7% for 20%-NaCl concentration. NaCl added in solution state exhibited templating effects, with maximum increases in the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and pore volume of 1.23 to 3.50 m2∙g−1 and 0.002 to 0.007 cm3∙g−1, respectively, after washing. Adding a high concentration (20%) of NaCl reduced the BET surface area. In contrast, the mean pore diameter increased owing to the increased NaCl clustering area. Increased NaCl clustering with increased added NaCl was shown to have positive effects on NaCl removal by washing. Furthermore, as the NaCl adhered to the KCl scattered in the food waste, a high NaCl concentration also had positive effects on KCl removal. This study reports on an investigation on the effects of varying NaCl concentrations injected in solution form on the structure of food-waste biochar during pyrolysis. The templating effect was considered using both added NaCl and NaCl already contained in the food waste, with implementation of a desalination process essential for food-waste treatment for recycling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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16 pages, 3033 KiB  
Article
Combustion of Flax Shives, Beech Wood, Pure Woody Pseudo-Components and Their Chars: A Thermal and Kinetic Study
by Nourelhouda Boukaous, Lokmane Abdelouahed, Mustapha Chikhi, Abdeslam-Hassen Meniai, Chetna Mohabeer and Taouk Bechara
Energies 2018, 11(8), 2146; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11082146 - 17 Aug 2018
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3072
Abstract
Thermogravimetric analysis was employed to investigate the combustion characteristics of flax shives, beech wood, hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin, and their chars. The chars were prepared from raw materials in a fixed-bed reactor at 850 °C. In this study, the thermal behavior based on characteristic [...] Read more.
Thermogravimetric analysis was employed to investigate the combustion characteristics of flax shives, beech wood, hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin, and their chars. The chars were prepared from raw materials in a fixed-bed reactor at 850 °C. In this study, the thermal behavior based on characteristic temperatures (ignition, maximum, and final temperatures), burnout time and maximum rate was investigated. The kinetic parameters for the combustion of different materials were determined based on the Coats-Redfern approach. The results of our study revealed that the combustion of pure pseudo-components behaved differently from that of biomass. Indeed, principal component analysis showed that the thermal behavior of both biomasses was generally similar to that of pure hemicellulose. However, pure cellulose and lignin showed different behaviors compared to flax shives, beech wood, and hemicellulose. Hemicellulose and cellulose chars had almost the same behaviors, while being different from biomass and lignin chars. Despite the difference between flax shives and beech wood, they showed almost the same thermal characteristics and apparent activation energies. Also, the combustion of the hemicellulose and cellulose chars showed that they have almost the same structure. Their overall thermal and kinetic behavior remained between that of biomass and lignin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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15 pages, 3458 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Char Preparation and Biomass Type on Char Steam Gasification Kinetics
by Tilia Dahou, Françoise Defoort, Sébastien Thiéry, Maguelone Grateau, Matthieu Campargue, Simona Bennici, Mejdi Jeguirim and Capucine Dupont
Energies 2018, 11(8), 2126; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11082126 - 15 Aug 2018
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3183
Abstract
A study was conducted to investigate the parameter that has influence on steam gasification kinetics between the biomass type and char preparation. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out on steam gasification of seven biomass samples as well as chars from three of these [...] Read more.
A study was conducted to investigate the parameter that has influence on steam gasification kinetics between the biomass type and char preparation. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out on steam gasification of seven biomass samples as well as chars from three of these samples. Chars were prepared using three different sets of low heating rate (LHR) pyrolysis conditions including temperature and biomass bed geometry. It was shown by a characteristic time analysis that these pyrolysis conditions were not associated with a chemical regime in a large amount of devices. However, it has been shown experimentally that conditions used to prepare the char had a much lower influence on steam gasification kinetics than the biomass type. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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17 pages, 4479 KiB  
Article
Possible Interactions and Interferences of Copper, Chromium, and Arsenic during the Gasification of Contaminated Waste Wood
by Shurooq Badri Al-Badri, Ying Jiang and Stuart Thomas Wagland
Energies 2018, 11(8), 1966; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11081966 - 28 Jul 2018
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3107
Abstract
A considerable proportion (about 64%) of biomass energy is produced from woody biomass (wood and its wastes). However, waste wood (WW) is very often contaminated with metal(loid) elements at concentrations leading to toxicity emissions and damages to facilities during thermal conversion. Therefore, procedures [...] Read more.
A considerable proportion (about 64%) of biomass energy is produced from woody biomass (wood and its wastes). However, waste wood (WW) is very often contaminated with metal(loid) elements at concentrations leading to toxicity emissions and damages to facilities during thermal conversion. Therefore, procedures for preventing and/or alleviating the negative impacts of these elements require further development, particularly by providing informative and supportive information regarding the phase transformations of the metal(loid)s during thermal conversion processes. Although it is well known that phase transformation depends on different factors such as elements’ vaporization characteristics, operational conditions, and process configuration; however, the influences of reaction atmosphere composition in terms of interactions and interferences are rarely addressed. In response, since Cu, Cr, and As (CCA-elements) are the most regulated elements in woody biomass, this paper aims to explore the possible interactions and interferences among CCA-elements themselves and with Ca, Na, S, Cl, Fe, and Ni from reaction atmosphere composition perspectives during the gasification of contaminated WW. To do so, thermodynamic equilibrium calculations were performed for Boudouard reaction (BR) and partial combustion reaction (PCR) with temperature ranges of 0–1300 °C and 0–1800 °C, respectively, and both reactions were simulated under pressure conditions of 1, 20, and 40 atm. Refinement of the occurred interactions and interferences reveals that Ni-As interactions generate dominant species As2Ni5 and As8Ni11, which increase the solid–gaseous transformation temperature of As. Moreover, the interactions between Ca and Cr predominantly form C3Cr7; whereas the absence of Ca leads to Cr2Na2O4 causing instability in the Cr phase transformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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21 pages, 2762 KiB  
Article
Investigation of the Olive Mill Solid Wastes Pellets Combustion in a Counter-Current Fixed Bed Reactor
by Mohamed Ali Mami, Hartmut Mätzing, Hans-Joachim Gehrmann, Dieter Stapf, Rainer Bolduan and Marzouk Lajili
Energies 2018, 11(8), 1965; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11081965 - 28 Jul 2018
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5954
Abstract
Combustion tests and gaseous emissions of olive mill solid wastes pellets (olive pomace (OP), and olive pits (OPi)) were carried out in an updraft counter-current fixed bed reactor. Along the combustion chamber axis and under a constant primary air flow rate, [...] Read more.
Combustion tests and gaseous emissions of olive mill solid wastes pellets (olive pomace (OP), and olive pits (OPi)) were carried out in an updraft counter-current fixed bed reactor. Along the combustion chamber axis and under a constant primary air flow rate, the bed temperatures and the mass loss rate were measured as functions of time. Moreover, the gas mixture components such as O2, organic carbon (Corg), CO, CO2, H2O, H2, SO2, and NOx (NO + NO2) were analyzed and measured. The reaction front positions were determined as well as the ignition rate and the reaction front velocity. We have found that the exhaust gases are emitted in acceptable concentrations compared to the combustion of standard wood pellets reported in the literature (EN 303-5). It is shown that the bed temperature increased from the ambient value to a maximum value ranging from 750 to 1000 °C as previously reported in the literature. The results demonstrate the promise of using olive mill solid waste pellets as an alternative biofuel for heat and/or electricity production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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14 pages, 2534 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Evaluation of a Coconut Shell-Based Activated Carbon for CO2/CH4 Separation
by Amna Abdeljaoued, Nausika Querejeta, Inés Durán, Noelia Álvarez-Gutiérrez, Covadonga Pevida and Mohamed Hachemi Chahbani
Energies 2018, 11(7), 1748; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11071748 - 03 Jul 2018
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 5456
Abstract
Biomass is a widely distributed and renewable source of carbon. The main objective of this work is to produce an activated carbon from coconut shells with suitable characteristics to separate CO2 from biogas. The textural characterization of the adsorbent has been determined. [...] Read more.
Biomass is a widely distributed and renewable source of carbon. The main objective of this work is to produce an activated carbon from coconut shells with suitable characteristics to separate CO2 from biogas. The textural characterization of the adsorbent has been determined. Pure component adsorption isotherms of CO2 and CH4 at 30, 50 and 70 °C have been measured. The results reveal that the activated carbon had high CO2 adsorption capacity. Equilibrium of adsorption of CO2 and CH4 adsorption on the produced activated carbon reached 8.36 mmol/g and 4.63 mmol/g, respectively, at 30 °C and 10 bars. Moreover, the performance of the produced activated carbon, as a potential adsorbent for CO2 capture from a CO2/CH4 gas mixture, has been evaluated under dynamic conditions in a dedicated fixed-bed setup. The CO2 and CH4 adsorption capacities of the produced activated carbon are estimated to be 1.86 and 0.52 mol/kg, respectively, at 30 °C and 1 bar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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14 pages, 4012 KiB  
Article
Value-Added Performance and Thermal Decomposition Characteristics of Dumped Food Waste Compost by Pyrolysis
by Ye-Eun Lee, Jun-Ho Jo, I-Tae Kim and Yeong-Seok Yoo
Energies 2018, 11(5), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11051061 - 25 Apr 2018
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3646
Abstract
Food waste compost has a high Na content, which interferes with plant growth when used as a soil enhancer and therefore makes it difficult to use. And, compared to the amount of compost produced every day, the amount of consumption required in farms [...] Read more.
Food waste compost has a high Na content, which interferes with plant growth when used as a soil enhancer and therefore makes it difficult to use. And, compared to the amount of compost produced every day, the amount of consumption required in farms is smaller, and the rest is buried underground, which releases greenhouse gases and pollutes underground water. This research compared and analyzed thermal degradation behavior, calorific value, and gas spectrometry during the pyrolysis between food waste compost and sawdust to suggest producing food waste compost biochar by pyrolysis as a new alternative solution to utilize the massive amount of food waste compost. Biochar from pyrolysis of food waste compost had a high carbon content of 51% at 300 °C, and the carbon content decreased as the pyrolysis temperature increased. According to the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and derivative thermo-gravimetric (DTG) analysis results, compost showed the largest weight reduction from 240 °C to 365 °C. The weight reduction temperature ranges for compost and sawdust were quite similar. This occurred because food waste of the compost was degraded, but sawdust of compost remained nearly during the composting process. A gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis found that the gases were fragments of fatty acids, protein, and hemi-cellulose. These results could also have been caused by degradation of microorganisms involved in the composting process, sawdust, and small fragments of food waste. In the calorific value of biochar, the highest value (24.33 kJ/g) was obtained 300 °C. At a low pyrolysis temperature, carbon fixation occurred easily since the food waste in compost was degraded by microorganism, and the volatilization of sawdust, which plays an important role in determining the calorific value, was also small. That is why the highest calorific value was shown at 300 °C, not 400 °C or 500 °C. Hence, it seems that food waste compost can be used as a promising alternative fuel at a low pyrolysis temperature, as other lignocellulosic refuse-derived fuels (RDF). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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14 pages, 3320 KiB  
Article
Advanced One-Dimensional Entrained-Flow Gasifier Model Considering Melting Phenomenon of Ash
by Jinsu Kim, Hyunmin Oh, Seokyoung Lee and Young-Seek Yoon
Energies 2018, 11(4), 1015; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11041015 - 21 Apr 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4052
Abstract
A one-dimensional model is developed to represent the ash-melting phenomenon, which was not considered in the previous one-dimensional (1-D) entrained-flow gasifier model. We include sensible heat of slag and the fusion heat of ash in the heat balance equation. To consider the melting [...] Read more.
A one-dimensional model is developed to represent the ash-melting phenomenon, which was not considered in the previous one-dimensional (1-D) entrained-flow gasifier model. We include sensible heat of slag and the fusion heat of ash in the heat balance equation. To consider the melting of ash, we propose an algorithm that calculates the energy balance for three scenarios based on temperature. We also use the composition and the thermal properties of anorthite mineral to express ash. gPROMS for differential equations is used to solve this algorithm in a simulation; the results include coal conversion, gas composition, and temperature profile. Based on the Texaco pilot plant gasifier, we validate our model. Our results show good agreement with previous experimental data. We conclude that the sensible heat of slag and the fusion heat of ash must be included in the entrained flow gasifier model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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14 pages, 4270 KiB  
Article
Pyrolysis of Grape Marc from Tunisian Wine Industry: Feedstock Characterization, Thermal Degradation and Kinetic Analysis
by Besma Khiari and Mejdi Jeguirim
Energies 2018, 11(4), 730; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11040730 - 23 Mar 2018
Cited by 49 | Viewed by 4733
Abstract
Despite the huge amounts of grape marc generated in Tunisia from the wine industry, very few efforts have been exerted to manage this harmful waste. Therefore, thermal processes may contribute to an environmental friendly management and also help winemakers to create new economic [...] Read more.
Despite the huge amounts of grape marc generated in Tunisia from the wine industry, very few efforts have been exerted to manage this harmful waste. Therefore, thermal processes may contribute to an environmental friendly management and also help winemakers to create new economic profitable circuits in an increasingly competitive context. Among the various thermochemical conversion process, pyrolysis is suitable for the recovery of food processing residues, due to their high minerals content and ability to create high added values of the derived products (biochar, bio-oil and syngas). In this context, the aim of this work is to optimize the pyrolysis process in order to benefit from the grape marc potential for achieving highest product yields. Therefore, physico-chemical and energy characteristics of grape marc issued from a Tunisian wine cooperative were determined according to international standards. Thermogravimetric analyzes were also performed to predict the grape marc behavior during degradation under an inert atmosphere. The profile of the mass loss rate shows two decomposition peaks corresponding to the cellulose and lignin decomposition. These peaks are shifted to lower temperatures comparing to several lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks due to high content of minerals that may play a catalytic role in the thermal degradation process. The biochar yield was about 40%, which was never met in literature for agricultural biomass in slow pyrolysis. Such behavior may be attributed to high lignin content in grape marc. Activation energies were calculated using integral Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose methods and differential Friedman method. The obtained values were 226.8, 224.2 and 229.5 kJ/mol, respectively. Such kinetics data are crucial in the design of the pyrolyzer for Tunisian grape marc recovery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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13 pages, 3598 KiB  
Article
Release Mechanism of Fuel-N into NOx and N2O Precursors during Pyrolysis of Rice Straw
by Xiaorui Liu, Zhongyang Luo, Chunjiang Yu, Bitao Jin and Hanchao Tu
Energies 2018, 11(3), 520; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11030520 - 28 Feb 2018
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3546
Abstract
Rice straw, which is a typical agricultural residue in China, was pyrolyzed in a horizontal tube reactor connected with a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyzer at temperatures ranging from 500 to 900 °C to research the release mechanism of fuel-N into NOx [...] Read more.
Rice straw, which is a typical agricultural residue in China, was pyrolyzed in a horizontal tube reactor connected with a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyzer at temperatures ranging from 500 to 900 °C to research the release mechanism of fuel-N into NOx and N2O precursors. The concentrations of gaseous nitrogen components were monitored online. NH3, HCN, HNCO, as well as NO were identified components. A high dependency between the gaseous products and temperature was found. NH3 and HNCO preferred to be formed at lower temperatures and HCN tended to form at higher temperatures. It is worth noting that NO was also an important product. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was performed to analyze the nitrogen species in rice straw. The result showed that amino-N (N-A) was the main form of nitrogen which accounted for 88.85%. Pyrrolic-N (N-5) was also identified and occupied the rest. Then nitrogen modeling compounds, glycine and pyrrole, were appropriately selected based on the results of XPS to well understand the nitrogen release mechanism during pyrolysis of rice straw. The formation routes of all the nitrogen gaseous components were confirmed. NH3, HNCO and NO were originated from the decomposition of amino-N. While both amino-N and pyrrolic-N produced HCN. NO was not detected during the pyrolysis of pyrrole and a little NO was found during the pyrolysis of glycine. Hence, it can be deduced that the large amount of NO formed during the pyrolysis of rice straw was due to the direct oxidization reaction of –NH and –OH, the latter is abundant in the raw material. In order to provide evidence for this deduction, cellulose was added to increase the amount of –OH and co-pyrolysis of cellulose and glycine was conducted. The effect of –OH on the formation of NO was confirmed. Then, the release mechanism of fuel-N into NOx and N2O precursors during rice straw pyrolysis was concluded based on the experimental results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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26 pages, 1172 KiB  
Article
Towards Biochar and Hydrochar Engineering—Influence of Process Conditions on Surface Physical and Chemical Properties, Thermal Stability, Nutrient Availability, Toxicity and Wettability
by Alba Dieguez-Alonso, Axel Funke, Andrés Anca-Couce, Alessandro Girolamo Rombolà, Gerardo Ojeda, Jörg Bachmann and Frank Behrendt
Energies 2018, 11(3), 496; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11030496 - 27 Feb 2018
Cited by 80 | Viewed by 9463
Abstract
The impact of conversion process parameters in pyrolysis (maximum temperature, inert gas flow rate) and hydrothermal carbonization (maximum temperature, residence time and post-washing) on biochar and hydrochar properties is investigated. Pine wood (PW) and corn digestate (CD), with low and high inorganic species [...] Read more.
The impact of conversion process parameters in pyrolysis (maximum temperature, inert gas flow rate) and hydrothermal carbonization (maximum temperature, residence time and post-washing) on biochar and hydrochar properties is investigated. Pine wood (PW) and corn digestate (CD), with low and high inorganic species content respectively, are used as feedstock. CD biochars show lower H/C ratios, thermal recalcitrance and total specific surface area than PW biochars, but higher mesoporosity. CD and PW biochars present higher naphthalene and phenanthrene contents, respectively, which may indicate different reaction pathways. High temperatures (>500 °C) lead to lower PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) content (<12 mg/kg) and higher specific surface area. With increasing process severity the biochars carbon content is also enhanced, as well as the thermal stability. High inert gas flow rates increase the microporosity and wettability of biochars. In hydrochars the high inorganic content favor decarboxylation over dehydration reactions. Hydrochars show mainly mesoporosity, with a higher pore volume but generally lower specific surface area than biochars. Biochars present negligible availability of NO 3 − and NH 4 + , irrespective of the nitrogen content of the feedstock. For hydrochars, a potential increase in availability of NO 3 − , NH 4 + , PO 4 3 − , and K + with respect to the feedstock is possible. The results from this work can be applied to “engineer” appropriate biochars with respect to soil demands and certification requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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14 pages, 5051 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Effective Diffusion Coefficient of O2 in Ash Layer in Underground Coal Gasification by Thermogravimetric Apparatus
by Xi Lin, Qingya Liu and Zhenyu Liu
Energies 2018, 11(2), 460; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11020460 - 22 Feb 2018
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3977
Abstract
Underground coal gasification (UCG) proceeds generally in the presence of an ash layer on coal (or char) surface. The ash layer increases the mass transfer resistance of O2 to the gasification surface, which may become the limiting step of whole process. This [...] Read more.
Underground coal gasification (UCG) proceeds generally in the presence of an ash layer on coal (or char) surface. The ash layer increases the mass transfer resistance of O2 to the gasification surface, which may become the limiting step of whole process. This paper studies O2 diffusion in ash layer formed on cylindrical char samples using a specially designed one-dimension setup in a thermogravimetric apparatus (TGA). The effective internal diffusion coefficient (De) is found to increase with an increase in ash layer thickness, due to an increase in median pore diameter. Methods are established to correlate De with operating conditions and to estimate the role of internal diffusion resistance in overall mass transfer resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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16 pages, 3777 KiB  
Article
Steam Gasification of Sawdust Biochar Influenced by Chemical Speciation of Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metallic Species
by Dongdong Feng, Yijun Zhao, Yu Zhang, Shaozeng Sun and Jianmin Gao
Energies 2018, 11(1), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11010205 - 15 Jan 2018
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3884
Abstract
The effect of chemical speciation (H2O/NH4Ac/HCl-soluble and insoluble) of alkali and alkaline earth metallic species on the steam gasification of sawdust biochar was investigated in a lab-scale, fixed-bed reactor, with the method of chemical fractionation analysis. The changes in [...] Read more.
The effect of chemical speciation (H2O/NH4Ac/HCl-soluble and insoluble) of alkali and alkaline earth metallic species on the steam gasification of sawdust biochar was investigated in a lab-scale, fixed-bed reactor, with the method of chemical fractionation analysis. The changes in biochar structures and the evolution of biochar reactivity are discussed, with a focus on the contributions of the chemical speciation of alkali and alkaline earth metallic species (AAEMs) on the steam gasification of biochar. The results indicate that H2O/NH4Ac/HCl-soluble AAEMs have a significant effect on biochar gasification rates. The release of K occurs mainly in the form of inorganic salts and hydrated ions, while that of Ca occurs mainly as organic ones. The sp3-rich or sp2-sp3 structures and different chemical-speciation AAEMs function together as the preferred active sites during steam gasification. H2O/HCl-soluble AAEMs could promote the transformation of biochar surface functional groups, from ether/alkene C-O-C to carboxylate COO− in biochar, while they may both be improved by NH4Ac-soluble AAEMs. H2O-soluble AAEMs play a crucial catalytic role in biochar reactivity. The effect of NH4Ac-soluble AAEMs is mainly concentrated in the high-conversion stage (biochar conversion >30%), while that of HCl-soluble AAEMs is reflected in the whole activity-testing stage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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1987 KiB  
Article
Efficient Low Temperature Hydrothermal Carbonization of Chinese Reed for Biochar with High Energy Density
by Chang Liu, Xin Huang and Lingzhao Kong
Energies 2017, 10(12), 2094; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10122094 - 11 Dec 2017
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4398
Abstract
Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), as an environmental friendly process, presents wide potential applicability for converting biomass to biochar with high energy density. Reed, a major energy crop, was converted by a HTC process in a batch reactor at 200–280 °C for 0.5 to 4 [...] Read more.
Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), as an environmental friendly process, presents wide potential applicability for converting biomass to biochar with high energy density. Reed, a major energy crop, was converted by a HTC process in a batch reactor at 200–280 °C for 0.5 to 4 h. Biochar mass yield changed from 66.7% to 19.2% and high heating value (HHV) from 20.0 kJ/g to 28.3 kJ/g, respectively, by increasing the carbonization temperature from 200 °C to 280 °C and decreasing the residence time from 2 h to 1 h. The Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) results indicated the lignocellulosic crosslink structure of reed is broken and biochar having a high energy density is obtained with the increase of temperature. The microcrystal features of reed are destroyed and biochar contained mainly lignin fractions. The HTC of biocrude is carried out at 200–280 °C for 2.0 h and the results showed that the obtained biochar has uniform particles filled with carbon microspheres. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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1193 KiB  
Article
Gasification under CO2–Steam Mixture: Kinetic Model Study Based on Shared Active Sites
by Xia Liu, Juntao Wei, Wei Huo and Guangsuo Yu
Energies 2017, 10(11), 1890; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10111890 - 17 Nov 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3413
Abstract
In this work, char gasification of two coals (i.e., Shenfu bituminous coal and Zunyi anthracite) and a petroleum coke under a steam and CO2 mixture (steam/CO2 partial pressures, 0.025–0.075 MPa; total pressures, 0.100 MPa) and CO2/steam chemisorption of char [...] Read more.
In this work, char gasification of two coals (i.e., Shenfu bituminous coal and Zunyi anthracite) and a petroleum coke under a steam and CO2 mixture (steam/CO2 partial pressures, 0.025–0.075 MPa; total pressures, 0.100 MPa) and CO2/steam chemisorption of char samples were conducted in a Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA). Two conventional kinetic models exhibited difficulties in exactly fitting the experimental data of char–steam–CO2 gasification. Hence, a modified model based on Langmuir–Hinshelwood model and assuming that char–CO2 and char–steam reactions partially shared active sites was proposed and had indicated high accuracy for estimating the interactions in char–steam–CO2 reaction. Moreover, it was found that two new model parameters (respectively characterized as the amount ratio of shared active sites to total active sites in char–CO2 and char–steam reactions) in the modified model hardly varied with gasification conditions, and the results of chemisorption indicate that these two new model parameters mainly depended on the carbon active sites in char samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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894 KiB  
Article
Energy Recovery Efficiency of Poultry Slaughterhouse Sludge Cake by Hydrothermal Carbonization
by Seung-Yong Oh and Young-Man Yoon
Energies 2017, 10(11), 1876; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10111876 - 16 Nov 2017
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5401
Abstract
Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a promising technology used for bioenergy conversion from bio-wastes such as sewage sludge, livestock manure, and food waste. To determine the optimum HTC reaction temperature in maximizing the gross energy recovery efficiency of poultry slaughterhouse sludge cake, a pilot-scale [...] Read more.
Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a promising technology used for bioenergy conversion from bio-wastes such as sewage sludge, livestock manure, and food waste. To determine the optimum HTC reaction temperature in maximizing the gross energy recovery efficiency of poultry slaughterhouse sludge cake, a pilot-scale HTC reactor was designed and operated under reaction temperatures of 170, 180, 190, 200 and 22 °C. During the HTC reaction, the gross energy recovery efficiency was determined based on the calorific value of the HTC-biochar and ultimate methane potential of the HTC-hydrolysate. The poultry slaughterhouse sludge cake was assessed as a useful source for the bioenergy conversion with a high calorific value of approximately 27.7 MJ/kg. The calorific values of the HTC-biochar increased from 29.6 MJ/kg to 31.3 MJ/kg in accordance with the change in the reaction temperature from 170 °C to 220 °C. The ultimate methane potential of the HTC-hydrolysate was 0.222, 0.242, 0.237, 0.228 and 0.197 Nm3/kg-CODadded for the reaction temperatures of 170, 180, 190, 200 and 220 °C, respectively. The potential energy of feedstock was 4.541 MJ/kg. The total gross energy recovery (GERtotal) was 4318 MJ/kg, of which the maximum value in the HTC reaction temperature was attained at 180 °C. Thus, the optimum temperature of the HTC reaction was 180 °C with a maximum GERtotal efficiency of 95.1%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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5094 KiB  
Article
Chemical Characteristics and NaCl Component Behavior of Biochar Derived from the Salty Food Waste by Water Flushing
by Ye-Eun Lee, Jun-Ho Jo, I-Tae Kim and Yeong-Seok Yoo
Energies 2017, 10(10), 1555; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10101555 - 10 Oct 2017
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4290
Abstract
Biochar is the product of the pyrolysis of organic materials in a reduced state. In recent years, biochar has received attention due to its applicability to organic waste management, thereby leading to active research on biochar. However, there have been few studies using [...] Read more.
Biochar is the product of the pyrolysis of organic materials in a reduced state. In recent years, biochar has received attention due to its applicability to organic waste management, thereby leading to active research on biochar. However, there have been few studies using food waste. In particular, the most significant difference between food waste and other organic waste is the high salinity of food waste. Therefore, in this paper, we compare the chemical characteristics of biochar produced using food waste containing low- and high-concentration salt and biochar flushed with water to remove the concentrated salt. In addition, we clarify the salt component behavior of biochar. Peak analysis of XRD confirms that it is difficult to find salt crystals in flushed char since salt remains in the form of crystals when salty food waste is pyrolyzed washed away after water flushing. In addition, the Cl content significantly decreased to 1–2% after flushing, similar to that of Cl content in the standard, non-salted food waste char. On the other hand, a significant amount of Na was found in pyrolyzed char even after flushing resulting from a phenomenon in which salt is dissolved in water while flushing and Na ions are adsorbed. FT-IR analysis showed that salt in waste affects the binding of aromatic carbons to compounds in the pyrolysis process. The NMR spectroscopy demonstrated that the aromatic carbon content, which indicates the stability of biochar, is not influenced by the salt content and increases with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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2438 KiB  
Article
Experimental Model Development of Oxygen-Enriched Combustion Kinetics on Porous Coal Char and Non-Porous Graphite
by Gyeong-Min Kim, Jong-Pil Kim, Kevin Yohanes Lisandy and Chung-Hwan Jeon
Energies 2017, 10(9), 1436; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10091436 - 18 Sep 2017
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4586
Abstract
The effect of oxygen-enriched air on low-rank coal char combustion was experimentally investigated. In this work, a coal-heating reactor equipped with a platinum wire mesh in the reaction chamber was used to analyze the combustion temperature, reaction time, and reaction kinetics. Increasing the [...] Read more.
The effect of oxygen-enriched air on low-rank coal char combustion was experimentally investigated. In this work, a coal-heating reactor equipped with a platinum wire mesh in the reaction chamber was used to analyze the combustion temperature, reaction time, and reaction kinetics. Increasing the oxygen content of the primary combustion air increased the combustion temperature and decreased the reaction time. As the oxygen content increased from 21% to 30%, the average temperature increased by 47.72 K at a setup temperature of 1673 K, and the reaction time decreased by 30.22% at the same temperature. The graphite sample exhibited similar trends in temperature and reaction time, although the degree of change was smaller because the pores produced during char devolatilization expanded the active surface available for oxidation of the char sample. A mathematical model was used to define the intrinsic kinetics of the reaction. As the oxygen content increased from 21% to 30%, the reaction rate of the low-rank coal char increased. These results were also compared with those of the graphite sample. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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607 KiB  
Article
Biomass Production from Crops Residues: Ranking of Agro-Energy Regions
by Christina Moulogianni and Thomas Bournaris
Energies 2017, 10(7), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10071061 - 22 Jul 2017
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3620
Abstract
The aim of the paper is to rank the agro-energy regions according to their potentials of biomass production in the Region of Central Macedonia (RCM). For this reason, a model of Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCDA) is developed with the ELimination and Et Choix Traduisant [...] Read more.
The aim of the paper is to rank the agro-energy regions according to their potentials of biomass production in the Region of Central Macedonia (RCM). For this reason, a model of Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCDA) is developed with the ELimination and Et Choix Traduisant la REalite (ELECTRE) ΙΙΙ method, with the construction of outranking relations. The aim is to compare in a comprehensive way each pair of action, in our case the agro-energy regions of the RCM, in order to satisfy the main goal which is to rank the seven regions as regards their biomass production. The final goal is to select the optimal crop plan as a pilot case for biomass production in the region. In the case of ELECTRE III multicriteria model, we used several conflicting criteria such as the farm income, the biomass production from crop residues, the variable costs, and the production of thermal energy and electrical energy. Alongside a technical and economic analysis of the study area is conducted for the existent crop plans of each agro-energy region. The results show that agro-energy regions with cereals and arable crops have better results than regions with fruit trees and other crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications Ⅱ)
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