Effects of hydrothermal carbonization on catalytic fast pyrolysis of tobacco stems

Hydrothermal carbonization as a preliminary step to pine cone pyrolysis for bioenergy production

“…PYC y (wt%) is the total solid yield (PYC) corresponding to the pyrolysis of HC and is calculated by (2):…”

“…In contrast to the biochar, the pyrochars are covered with carbon microspheres on the surface with a distinctive size distribution. The carbon microspheres are mainly produced by the breakup of cellulose molecules [47] that might be decomposed during the HTC process and then during the pyrolysis process as well as by the recombination of carbon products from decarboxylation reactions [2]. Az- zaz et al [12] also explained that these carbon microspheres are formed due to a change in the crystalline arrangement associated with the condensation of cellulose and hemicellulose in the carbon content.…”

“…Traditional pyrolysis processes have been largely used to convert biomass in the absence of oxygen to products with a higher proportion of carbon content than in the original biomass. Recently, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), also known as wet pyrolysis or autohydrolysis or wet torrefaction [2], has attracted much attention as a sustainable, eco-friendly, and costless thermochemical process to convert organic biomass, in the presence of water, into bio-oil and a carbon-rich solid product (called hydrochar [HC]) [3] and, unlike traditional pyrolysis, to recover nutrients from biomass [4]. The HTC temperature is much lower, ranging from 180 °C to 300 °C compared to the pyrolysis temperature (between 500 °C and 900 °C) [5].…”