Biomass Pretreatment for Thermochemical Conversion

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 2582

Special Issue Editors


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Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie per l'Energia e la Mobilità Sostenibili (STEMS), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), P.le V. Tecchio, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: pyrolysis; gasification and combustion of biomass; flammability of synthetic and natural polymers, and composite materials; kinetic modelling of biomass pyrolysis and combustion; composition, properties and reactivity of pyrolysis products (bio-oil and biochar); biomass torrefaction
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Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, dei Materiali e della Produzione Industriale, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", P.le Tecchio, 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: biomass; thermochemical conversion processes; transport phenomena; computational modeling; biorefinery; response to fire of polymers and composite materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass fuels are recognized as renewable sources that may be converted to biofuels, chemicals, and heat and power through chemical and thermal conversion. Feedstock variability is a serious barrier to scaling up and commercialization. Further serious adverse factors are related to various inherent biomass properties, such as high moisture level; low bulk density; irregular shape and size; hydrophilic nature; low calorific value; and significant contents of problematic constituents, including sulphur, chlorine, alkalis, nitrogen, and heavy metals. To overcome these drawbacks, physical, thermal, and chemical methods of pretreatment are proposed (grinding, densification, demineralization, dry and wet torrefaction, acid or alkali treatment, steam explosion, etc.).

This Special Issue aims to address the development/optimization and application of biomass pretreatment methods and their influences on thermochemical conversion processes and products.

Dr. Carmen Branca
Prof. Dr. Antonio Galgano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • biomass pretreatments
  • pyrolysis
  • gasification
  • combustion
  • bio-oil and biochar upgrading
  • emissions

Published Papers (2 papers)

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17 pages, 1523 KiB  
Article
Energy Recovery Efficiency of Integrating Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Pig Slurry and Feedlot Cattle Manure and Hydrothermal Carbonization of Anaerobic Sludge Cake
by Jun-Hyeong Lee and Young-Man Yoon
Processes 2024, 12(1), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12010198 - 16 Jan 2024
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Abstract
Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a technology designed to improve the efficiency of bioenergy recovery by subjecting biomass to high-temperature and high-pressure conditions. By integrating this technical feature with anaerobic digestion (AD), enhanced energy recovery efficiency is achieved in treating anaerobic digestate (AD-T). The [...] Read more.
Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a technology designed to improve the efficiency of bioenergy recovery by subjecting biomass to high-temperature and high-pressure conditions. By integrating this technical feature with anaerobic digestion (AD), enhanced energy recovery efficiency is achieved in treating anaerobic digestate (AD-T). The study investigates enhancing bioenergy recovery efficiency through an integrated process, combining AD of livestock manure and HTC. The primary objective is to improve the energy conversion efficiency of biomass characterized by varying solid contents and chemical compositions. Shortening the hydraulic retention time (HRT) in AD of livestock manure resulted in decreased degradation rate efficiency within the AD-T. This led to increased solid material accumulation, which was crucial for the subsequent HTC reaction. The HTC reaction exhibited its maximum bioenergy recovery at 160 °C. The input energy of the livestock manure, obtained by mixing pig slurry and feedlot cattle manure in a 1:1 (w/w) ratio, was 171,167 MJ/day. Under different HRT conditions (40, 30, and 20 days), recoverable energy from AD of livestock manure ranged from 60,336 to 68,517 MJ/ton. Integration of HTC increased net bioenergy recovery to 106,493 to 130,491 MJ/day under corresponding HRT conditions, highlighting the potential of integrating HTC with AD from livestock manure for enhanced bioenergy recovery efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Pretreatment for Thermochemical Conversion)
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14 pages, 3717 KiB  
Review
An Overview on Production of Lignocellulose-Derived Platform Chemicals Such as 5-Hydroxymethyl Furfural, Furfural, Protocatechuic Acid
by Pravin P. Upare, Rachel E. Clarence, Hyungsub Shin and Byung Gyu Park
Processes 2023, 11(10), 2912; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11102912 - 04 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1517
Abstract
Furan derivatives such as 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) and furfural (FA) and aromatic acids such as protocatechuic acid (PCA) represent the most essential classes of intermediates derived from lignocellulosic biomass. These bio-based compounds are potential feedstocks for producing bio-based chemicals and fuels. However, the [...] Read more.
Furan derivatives such as 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) and furfural (FA) and aromatic acids such as protocatechuic acid (PCA) represent the most essential classes of intermediates derived from lignocellulosic biomass. These bio-based compounds are potential feedstocks for producing bio-based chemicals and fuels. However, the derivatives of these bio-based compounds are useful in their antioxidative, antibacterial, and anti-aging activities. Protocatechuic acid (PCA, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid), derived from lignin biomass, is also one of the essential bio-derived aromatic intermediates with an active acid and hydroxyl group, which can elevate it into an important class of potential platform chemicals for the production of value-added chemicals, such as HMF and furfuryl alcohol (FAL). The platform compounds are indeed the most used furan-based feedstocks since their chemical structure allows the preparation of various high-value-added chemicals. The related catalytic techniques are well known for the upgradation of biomass into these platform chemicals and their conversion into value-added chemicals. In this short review, we aim to briefly discuss biomass conversion into FA, HMF, and PCA and related heterogeneous catalytic processes. In addition, a few potential ongoing research trends are also proposed to provide some ideas for the further preparation of bio-based innovative derivatives in a much more green, simple, efficient, and economical way. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Pretreatment for Thermochemical Conversion)
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