Sheng Chang

Effect of torrefaction on structure and fast pyrolysis behavior of corncobs

Pretreatment of corncobs using torrefaction was conducted in an auger reactor at 250-300 °C and residence times of 10-60 min. The torrefied corncobs were fast pyrolyzed in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor at 470 °C to obtain high-quality bio-oil. The heating value and pH of the bio-oil improved when the torrefaction as pretreatment was applied; however, increasing bio-oil yield penalties were observed with increasing torrefaction severity. Fourier transform infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and quantitative solid (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (NMR) analysis of torrefied corncobs showed that the devolatilization, crosslinking and charring of corncobs during torrefaction could be responsible for the bio-oil yield penalties. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed that the acetic acid and furfural contents of the bio-oil decreased with torrefaction temperature or residence time. The results showed that torrefaction is an effective method of pretreatment for improving bio-oil quality if the crosslinking and charring of biomass can be restricted.

Effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on properties of bio-oil produced from fast pyrolysis of eucalyptus wood in a fluidized bed reactor

Eucalyptus wood powder was first subjected to hydrothermal pretreatment in a high-pressure reactor at 160-190°C, and subsequently fast pyrolyzed in a fluidized bed reactor at 500°C to obtain high quality bio-oil. This study focused on investigating effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on bio-oil properties. Hemicellulose and some metals were effectively removed from eucalyptus wood, while cellulose content was enhanced. No significant charring and carbonization of constituents was observed during hydrothermal pretreatment. Thus pretreated eucalyptus wood gave higher bio-oil yield than original eucalyptus wood. Chemical composition of bio-oil was examined by GC/MS and (13)C NMR analyses. Bio-oil produced from pretreated eucalyptus wood exhibited lower contents of ketones and acids, while much higher levoglucosan content than bio-oil produced from original eucalyptus wood, which would help to improve thermal stability of bio-oil and extract levoglucosan from bio-oil. Hydrothermal pretreatment also improved bio-oil fuel quality through lowering water content and enhancing heating value.

Synthesis gas production through biomass direct chemical looping conversion with natural hematite as an oxygen carrier

Biomass direct chemical looping (BDCL) conversion with natural hematite as an oxygen carrier was conducted in a fluidized bed reactor under argon atmosphere focusing on investigation the cyclic performance of oxygen carrier. The presence of oxygen carrier can evidently promote the biomass conversion. The gas yield and carbon conversion increased from 0.75 Nm(3)/kg and 62.23% of biomass pyrolysis to 1.06 Nm(3)/kg and 87.63% of BDCL, respectively. The components of the gas product in BDCL were close to those in biomass pyrolysis as the cyclic number increased. The gas yield and carbon conversion decreased from 1.06 Nm(3)/kg and 87.63% at 1st cycle to 0.93 Nm(3)/kg and 77.18% at 20th cycle, respectively, due to the attrition and structural changes of oxygen carrier. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the reduction extent of oxygen carrier increased with the cycles. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and pore structural analysis displayed that agglomeration was observed with the cycles.

Comparison of the effect of wet and dry torrefaction on chemical structure and pyrolysis behavior of corncobs

Wet and dry torrefaction of corncobs was conducted in high-pressure reactor and tube-type reactor, respectively. Effect of wet and dry torrefaction on chemical structure and pyrolysis behavior of corncobs was compared. The results showed that hemicellulose could be effectively removed from corncobs by torrefaction. However, dry torrefaction caused severe degradation of cellulose and the cross-linking and charring of corncobs. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that crystallinity degree of corncobs was evidently enhanced during wet torrefaction, but reduced during dry torrefaction as raising treatment temperature. In thermogravimetric analysis, wet torrefied corncobs produced less carbonaceous residues than raw corncobs, while dry torrefied corncobs gave much more residues owing to increased content of acid insoluble lignin. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy analysis indicated that wet torrefaction significantly promoted levoglucosan yield owing to the removal of alkali metals. Therefore, wet torrefaction can be considered as a more effective pretreatment method for fast pyrolysis of biomass.

Maximum synergistic effect in the coupling conversion of bio-derived furans and methanol over ZSM-5 for enhancing aromatic production

We firstly propose the coupling conversion of bio-derived furans and methanol over ZSM-5 for enhancing aromatic production. The coupling conversion of bio-derived furans and methanol was conducted in a continuous fixed bed reactor. 2-Methylfuran (MF) was used as a probe molecule to identify the possible reaction pathways. The effects of the methanol to MF molar ratio, reaction temperature and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) on the product distribution from the coupling conversion of MF and methanol were investigated. The experimental results showed that the aromatic yield from the coupling conversion of MF and methanol is about 5.2 times higher than that of the catalytic fast pyrolysis of only MF. In addition, it can also enhance the yield of olefins, the selectivity of xylenes and reduce coke formation. These results indicate that there is a significant synergistic effect between MF and methanol. The synergistic effect could be attributed to the methanol-to-olefins reactions, the Diels–Alder reactions of furans with olefins, and the alkylation reaction of benzene/toluene with methanol occurring during the coupling conversion of MF and methanol. The reaction conditions for maximizing the synergistic effect were a methanol to MF molar ratio of 2 at 550 °C. Moreover, the comparative study of the coupling conversion of different bio-derived furans (MF, 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), furfural (FF) and furfuryl alcohol (FA)) and methanol were also considered in this study. The coupling conversion of DMF and methanol exhibited maximum yields of aromatics, olefins and a minimum yield of coke, suggesting that DMF is the best candidate of bio-derived furans for aromatic production in the coupling conversion of bio-derived furans and methanol.