Chemical, structural and energy properties of hydrochars from microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbonization of glucose

Elaigwu, Sunday E.; Greenway, Gillian M.

doi:10.1007/s40090-016-0081-0

Cited by 62 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The higher heating value (HHV) of the hydrochar is always higher than that of the starting untreated biomass [25], because of the predominant dehydration route which has occurred during the hydrothermal treatment, having released furans (e.g., furfural and 5-hydroymethyl furfural) and organic acids (levulinic acid, formic acid) into the liquid phase. The hydrothermal treatment of a carbohydrate feedstock is not limited to the production of LA but can be applied for the production of other organic acids [153] and, from the perspective of the solid residue, different kinds of hydrochar can be obtained.…”

Section: Biochar Recovery and Exploitation Possibilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first step is the formation of 5-HMF by a triple dehydration step. 5-HMF is an unstable molecule and easily condenses, together with sugars and sugar degradation products, into black insoluble charred materials often called "humins" [22][23][24][25]. In an extensive review on the 5-HMF formation, Van Putten et al have demonstrated that the temperature and reaction conditions required for the dehydration of glucose and other aldoses are significantly more severe than those for fructose.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

New Frontiers in the Catalytic Synthesis of Levulinic Acid: From Sugars to Raw and Waste Biomass as Starting Feedstock

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Levulinic acid (LA) is one of the top bio-based platform molecules that can be converted into many valuable chemicals. It can be produced by acid catalysis from renewable resources, such as sugars, lignocellulosic biomass and waste materials, attractive candidates due to their abundance and environmentally benign nature. The LA transition from niche product to mass-produced chemical, however, requires its production from sustainable biomass feedstocks at low costs, adopting environment-friendly techniques. This review is an up-to-date discussion of the literature on the several catalytic systems that have been developed to produce LA from the different substrates. Special attention has been paid to the recent advancements on starting materials, moving from simple sugars to raw and waste biomasses. This aspect is of paramount importance from a sustainability point of view, transforming wastes needing to be disposed into starting materials for value-added products. This review also discusses the strategies to exploit the solid residues always obtained in the LA production processes, in order to attain a circular economy approach.

show abstract

Section: Biochar Recovery and Exploitation Possibilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Frontiers in the Catalytic Synthesis of Levulinic Acid: From Sugars to Raw and Waste Biomass as Starting Feedstock

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…cellulose, fructose and glucose) (15,17,18) and more complex waste streams such as sewage sludge (14), seafood waste (19), pine sawdust (15), sugarcane bagasse (20), and other lignocellulose waste materials (16,21,22). Water, which constitutes up to 95% w/w in HBW, can interact with microwaves, with this electromagnetic interaction causing dielectric heating (12).…”

Section: A C C E P T E D Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and cellulose (15,18), digested sewage (42) and lignocellulose biomass (45,46 mag.) of chars recovered from the four biowastes compared with their unprocessed samples.…”

Section: Conversion Of Hbw During M-htc Based On Sem Micrographsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All HBW samples were carbonized at HTC temperatures of 180°C and 200°C and a residence time of 30mins. Guided by literature (12,18,26,29) and preliminary experiments, these HTC process conditions provide enough contact time for carbonisation to occur and ensure pathogen kill. Following carbonization, the reactor vessels were cooled to room temperature and the carbonized materials removed and filtered with a 63µm mesh sieve.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Characterization of solid fuel chars recovered from microwave hydrothermal carbonization of human biowaste

Afolabi

Sohail

Thomas

2017

Energy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Highlights-Microwave hydrothermal carbonization can convert human biowaste to solid fuel chars -Physicochemical, structural, energetic and combustion properties of chars are enhanced -Higher heating value (HHV) of chars recovered increased by up to 41.5%-HHV of chars -up to 25.6MJ/kg -is greater than that of low-ranking coals/fuels -Processing human biowaste into solid fuel is promising for energy applications M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT KeywordsFaecal biomass, microwave, hydrothermal carbonization, chars, sanitation, renewable energy IntroductionTwo of the key issues facing more than 2 billion people in developing countries are poor sanitation and energy scarcity. Having missed the Millennium Development Goals' targets by wide margins, achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation, ending open defecation/untreated faecal wastewater and increasing the share of affordable, renewable clean energy by 2030 now constitute the key targets of the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 7 (1). Annually, an estimated one billion tons of faecal wastewater is generated (2) and as much as 90% of this is discharged untreated (3, 4). Open defecation is still practised by almost one billion people, and about 2.4 billion people still lack access to improved sanitation (5). The consequences of poor sanitation are pervasive. Open defecation fields (which serve as breeding sites for insects, vectors/disease pathogens), odour nuisance, exposure to human faecal biowaste (HBW) during manual pit emptying and the indiscriminate disposal of this waste intosurface water, open drains, near slums and other fragile settlements constitute serious public health and environmental risks. Faecal contamination of drinking water resources is primarily responsible for the high infant mortality rates due to waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, which kills 700,000 children per year (6). Aside the environmental and health impacts, experts estimate that lack of access to sanitation cost the global economy US$223 billion in 2015 -based on an economic valuation of the costs associated with premature death and loss in productivity, the healthcare costs of the sick and time forgone due to lack of access to improved sanitation (7).In common with poor sanitation, energy scarcity affects the least well off; an estimated 90% of people in developing economies lack access to reliable energy supplies (8). More than two billion people rely on firewood, charcoal and other related forest biomass to meet...

show abstract

Comparative study of pomelo‐peel‐derived hydrochar and torrefied poultry‐litter on coal fuel blends: Combustibility, synergy factor, and ash analysis

Xue

Fakudze

et al. 2022

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Co‐firing is considered to be a promising approach for the reduction of CO2 emissions from coal‐fired plants. However, the utilization of fruit‐waste‐based feedstocks is less common than the use of animal‐waste feedstocks, which are usually accompanied by high toxic ash content and low combustibility. In this work, pomelo‐peel‐derived hydrochar (PPHC), characterized by excellent fuel properties and combustibility, was systematically compared with torrefied poultry litter (PLBC), to promote its use as an eco‐friendly solid fuel. The two bio‐based solid fuels were prepared using hydrothermal carbonization (180–240 °C) and torrefaction (220–310 °C), respectively. Elemental analysis, proximate analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, and Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to study the physicochemical and structural properties of the prepared chars. The combustion behavior and post‐combustion ash content of PPHC/coal and PLBC/coal blends were assessed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X‐ray fluorescence (XRF). Fuel blends of PPHC and coal showed superior combustibility (S = 5.77–14.79 × 10−12), stronger synergistic effects (1.48–3.19°C−3 min−1/2), and lower activation energy requirements (28.5–31.6 kJ mol−1), in comparison with PLBC/coal blends. Comparative analysis of heavy metal content revealed that PPHC/coal blends were characterized by less toxicity, with lower concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, As, and Co. Hence, the results demonstrated that pomelo peel hydrochar, with excellent combustibility and environmental friendliness, could serve as a better alternative for co‐firing with coal. Meanwhile, torrefied poultry litter showed undesirable ash properties, suggesting an urgent need for the development of alternative methods for its treatment. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Chemical, structural and energy properties of hydrochars from microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbonization of glucose

Cited by 62 publications

References 42 publications

New Frontiers in the Catalytic Synthesis of Levulinic Acid: From Sugars to Raw and Waste Biomass as Starting Feedstock

New Frontiers in the Catalytic Synthesis of Levulinic Acid: From Sugars to Raw and Waste Biomass as Starting Feedstock

Characterization of solid fuel chars recovered from microwave hydrothermal carbonization of human biowaste

Comparative study of pomelo‐peel‐derived hydrochar and torrefied poultry‐litter on coal fuel blends: Combustibility, synergy factor, and ash analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About