Jarmo Louhelainen

Sorption properties of torrefied wood and charcoal

Abstract Pre-treating biomass by torrefaction is assumed to improve the materials storage properties because of reducing hydrophilicity. In order to assess the effect of sorption on storage properties, the adsorption of water vapour and capillary absorption of liquid water in torrefied and charred spruce and birch were studied. In addition, the chemical changes were evaluated through Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Adsorption decreased notably as severity of treatment increased, as was expected due to degradation of the wood constituents, namely hemicelluloses and amorphous cellulose. Capillary absorption increased with increasing severity in spruce samples while birch showed less change, but the maximum volume for absorption increased with both species. FT-IR results showed an increase in aromatic structures that have a role in forming crystalline structures, possibly leading to increased porosity. Torrefied and charred material should not be stored outside, as liquid water absorbs readily into the material, turning it into a suitable substrate for fungi.

Spectroscopic analysis of hot-water- and dilute-acid-extracted hardwood and softwood chips

Hot-water and dilute sulfuric acid pretreatments were performed prior to chemical pulping for silver/white birch (Betula pendula/B. pubescens) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) chips to determine if varying pretreatment conditions on the original wood material were detectable via attenuated total reflectance (ATR) infrared spectroscopy. Pretreatment conditions varied with respect to temperature (130°C and 150°C) and treatment time (from 30min to 120min). The effects of the pretreatments on the composition of wood chips were determined by ATR infrared spectroscopy. The spectral data were compared to those determined by common wood chemistry analyses to evaluate the suitability of ATR spectroscopy method for rapid detection of changes in the wood chemical composition caused by different pretreatment conditions. In addition to determining wood species-dependent differences in the wood chemical composition, analytical results indicated that most essential lignin- and carbohydrates-related phenomena taking place during hot-water and acidic pretreatments could be described by applying this simple spectral method requiring only a small sample amount and sample preparation. Such information included, for example, the cleavage of essential lignin bonds (i.e., mainly β-O-4 linkages in guaiacyl and syringyl lignin) and formation of newly condensed lignin structures under different pretreatment conditions. Carbohydrate analyses indicated significant removal of hemicelluloses (especially hardwood xylan) and hemicelluloses-derived acetyl groups during the pretreatments, but they also confirmed the highly resistant nature of cellulose towards mild pretreatments.