Hydrothermal carbonization of lignocellulosic biomass

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 118; pp. 619 - 623
• Main Authors: Xiao, Ling-Ping, Shi, Zheng-Jun, Xu, Feng, Sun, Run-Cang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2012
• Subjects: acetates; Biomass; Carbon - chemistry; Charcoal - chemistry; corn stover; feedstocks; gas chromatography; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; GC–MS; Hot Temperature; Hydrolysis; Hydrothermal carbonization; Lignin - chemistry; mass spectrometry; Phenolic compound; phenolic compounds; raw materials; Tamaricaceae - chemistry; Tamarix ramosissima; value-added products; Water - chemistry; XPS; Zea mays - chemistry; GC–MS; XPS; Biomass; Hydrothermal carbonization; Phenolic compound
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.05.060

Schematic representation of the possible formation processes of hydrochars from lignocellulosic biomass via hydrothermal carbonization. [Display omitted] ► HTC allowed rapid conversion of biomass into a carbon-rich and lignite-like product. ► Carbonization involved in dehydration, decarboxylation, and demethanation processes. ► Solid residue and liquid product contained many value-added materials. ► Phenolic compounds and furan derivatives were analyzed by GC–MS. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a novel thermochemical conversion process to convert lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products. HTC processes were studied using two different biomass feedstocks: corn stalk and Tamarix ramosissima. The treatment brought an increase of the higher heating values up to 29.2 and 28.4MJ/kg for corn stalk and T. ramosissima, respectively, corresponding to an increase of 66.8% and 58.3% as compared to those for the raw materials. The resulting lignite-like solid products contained mainly lignin with a high degree of aromatization and a large amount of oxygen-containing groups. Liquid products extracted with ethyl acetate were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The identified degradation products were phenolic compounds and furan derivatives, which may be desirable feedstocks for biodiesel and chemical production. Based on these results, HTC is considered to be a potential treatment in a lignocellulosic biomass refinery.