Hydochar and biochar: Production, physicochemical properties and techno-economic analysis

Kumar, Adarsh; Saini, Komal; Bhaskar, Thallada

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123442

Cited by 175 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 134 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The three options were a conventional biorefinery, a biochemical platform that utilizes bagasse as a fuel for the system, and finally, a thermochemical platform that utilizes gasification. Kumar et al [16] addressed the differences between the methods of producing conventional biochar (made from dry feedstock) and hydrochar (made from wet feedstock). The generation of conventional biochar used pyrolysis, torrefaction, flash carbonization, and gasification, whereas hydrothermal carbonization generates hydrochar.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergy of Thermochemical Treatment of Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles with Bioethanol Production for Increased Sustainability and Profitability

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The bioethanol industry continues improving sustainability, specifically focused on plant energy and GHG emission management. Dried distiller grains with solubles (DDGS) is a byproduct of ethanol fermentation and is used for animal feed. DDGS is a relatively low-value bulk product that decays, causes odor, and is challenging to manage. The aim of this research was to find an alternative, value-added-type concept for DDGS utilization. Specifically, we aimed to explore the techno-economic feasibility of torrefaction, i.e., a thermochemical treatment of DDGS requiring low energy input, less sophisticated equipment, and resulting in fuel-quality biochar. Therefore, we developed a research model that addresses both bioethanol production sustainability and profitability due to synergy with the torrefaction of DDGS and using produced biochar as marketable fuel for the plant. Our experiments showed that DDGS-based biochar (CSF—carbonized solid fuel) lower calorific value may reach up to 27 MJ∙kg−1 d.m. (dry matter) Specific research questions addressed were: What monetary profits and operational cost reductions could be expected from valorizing DDGS as a source of marketable biorenewable energy, which may be used for bioethanol production plant’s demand? What environmental and financial benefits could be expected from valorizing DDGS to biochar and its reuse for natural gas substitution? Modeling indicated that the valorized CSF could be produced and used as a source of energy for the bioethanol production plant. The use of heat generated from CSF incineration supplies the entire heat demand of the torrefaction unit and the heat demand of bioethanol production (15–30% of the mass of CSF and depending on the lower heating value (LHV) of the CSF produced). The excess of 70–85% of the CSF produced has the potential to be marketed for energetic, agricultural, and other applications. Preliminary results show the relationship between the reduction of the environmental footprint (~24% reduction in CO2 emissions) with the introduction of comprehensive on-site valorization of DDGS. The application of DDGS torrefaction and CSF recycling may be a source of the new, more valuable revenues and bring new perspectives to the bioethanol industry to be more sustainable and profitable, including during the COVID-19 pandemic and other shocks to market conditions.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergy of Thermochemical Treatment of Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles with Bioethanol Production for Increased Sustainability and Profitability

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is performed on wet biomass (moisture > 10 %) as feedstock, making the process highly energy-intensive [96]. HTC happens under water in a sealed confined system and heated at the temperature range of 175-300 °C for up to 16 h under saturated pressure under subcritical conditions producing tar-free BC (hydrochar) with large number of functional groups [97][98][99].…”

Section: Thermochemical Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…HTC happens under water in a sealed confined system and heated at the temperature range of 175-300 °C for up to 16 h under saturated pressure under subcritical conditions producing tar-free BC (hydrochar) with large number of functional groups [97][98][99]. Hydrochars are usually obtained at yields of 20-25 % [96], and they contain mainly aliphatic compounds and more oxygen functional groups and higher cation exchange capacity than conventional BC. On the other hand, they have lower surface area, microporosity and carbon stability [96,100].…”

Section: Thermochemical Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of biochar role as additive in anaerobic digestion processes

Chiappero

Norouzi

et al. 2020

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

199

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anaerobic digestion (AD) could be considered as a mature technology and nowadays it can still play a pivot role because of the urgent need to provide renewable energy sources and efficiently manage the continuously growing amount of organic waste. Biochar (BC) is an extremely versatile material, which could be produced by carbonization of organic materials, including biomass and wastes, consistently with Circular Economy principles, and "tailor-made" for specific applications. The potential BC role as additive in the control of the many well-known critical issues of AD processes has been increasingly

show abstract

“…Biochar can be defined as charcoal or black carbon derived from organic matter through pyrolysis (Pourhashem et al, 2019); however, they can also be produced from a feedstock through various methods like torrefaction, flash carbonization, and gasification (Kumar et al, 2020; van Laer et al, 2015; Lehmann & Joseph, 2015). Therefore, it should be emphasized here that the term "biochar" in this case is fully consistent with the classic term "charcoal".…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activated biochars derived from wood biomass liquefaction residues for effective removal of hazardous hexavalent chromium from aquatic environments

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Residues obtained after wood biomass liquefaction were used as precursors for the synthesis of two activated biochars. The source of biomass liquefaction constituted of industrial wood processing by‐products, including bark and wood sawdust. The liquefied residues were analyzed in terms of chemical components and structure. Carbonization under nitrogen atmosphere followed by physical CO2 activation allowed to obtain microporous activated carbons with specific surface areas of 741 and 522 m2 g−1, and micropore volumes of 0.38 and 0.27 cm3 g−1, respectively. The obtained activated carbons were used to remove toxic hexavalent chromium from the aquatic environment. The observed sorption capacities were 80.6 mg g−1 versus 36.7 mg g−1 for wood bark‐derived and wood sawdust‐derived carbon, respectively, indicating a key role of the wood residue source in the effectiveness of Cr(VI) removal by resulting carbons. Despite the dominant microporous structure, the adsorption kinetics was surprisingly fast, especially for the bark‐derived carbon, since the adsorption equilibrium was reached within 2 h. The sorption mechanism of chromium was based on the carbon surface‐mediated reduction of toxic hexavalent form to its non‐toxic trivalent form, as confirmed by the X‐ray photoelectron analysis. Therefore, the residues from wood liquefaction can be easily converted into porous activated biocarbons capable of adsorbing significant amounts of hazardous Cr(VI) while reducing them to non‐toxic Cr(III).

show abstract

Hydochar and biochar: Production, physicochemical properties and techno-economic analysis

Cited by 175 publications

References 134 publications

Synergy of Thermochemical Treatment of Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles with Bioethanol Production for Increased Sustainability and Profitability

Synergy of Thermochemical Treatment of Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles with Bioethanol Production for Increased Sustainability and Profitability

Review of biochar role as additive in anaerobic digestion processes

Activated biochars derived from wood biomass liquefaction residues for effective removal of hazardous hexavalent chromium from aquatic environments

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About