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Understanding the influence of biomass particle size and reaction medium on the formation pathways of hydrochar

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Abstract

The chemical-physical processes controlling hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) are still not completely understood. This paper focuses on two aspects: the influence on the hydrochar formation of the particle size of the feedstock and the presence of solved compounds in the feedwater. To address these, brewer’s spent grains were crushed to < 1 mm and separated in three fractions. In addition, residual process water (rPW) from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) production instead of bi-distilled H2O was added in a series of experiments for recycling. The results show a transfer limitation of hydrolysis products through pores for the particle size fractions > 250 μm proved by HPLC analysis of liquid byproducts, particularly when rPW, containing readily condensable/polymerizable intermediates, is added. This has a positive effect on the yield and carbon content of the hydrochars caused mainly by an increase in its secondary char fraction. The reaction pathways involved are discussed in detail.

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Abbreviations

HTC:

Hydrothermal carbonization

HC:

Hydrochar

HMF:

5-hydroxymethylfurfural

C eff :

Carbon retention efficiency

rPW:

Residual process water

FRU:

Fructose

BSG:

Brewer’s spent grains

PW:

Process water

C fix :

Fixed carbon

VM:

Volatile matter

LA:

Levulinic acid

FA:

Formic acid

AA:

Acetic acid

LaA:

Lactic acid

GA:

Glycolic acid

MF:

Methylfurfural

FU:

Furfural

DOC:

Dissolved organic carbon

NDF:

Neutral detergent fiber,

ADF:

Acid detergent fiber

ADL:

Acid detergent lignin

PG:

Process gas

SUC:

Sucrose

GLU:

Glucose

FRU:

Fructose

GIAD:

Glyceraldehyde

GAD:

Glycolaldehyde

PA:

Pyruvic acid

DHA:

Dihydroxyacetone

XYL:

Xylose

ARA:

Arabinose

BDL:

Below detection limit

FAD:

Formaldehyde

BTO:

1,2,4-benzenetriol

EtOH:

Ethanol

DHH:

2,5-dioxo-6-hydroxy-hexanal

ERY:

Erythrose

FUA:

Furfuryl-alcohol

MeOH:

Methanol

AAD:

Acetaldehyde

MAN:

Mannose

OA:

Oxalic acid

PAD:

Pyruvaldehyde

ProA:

Propionic acid

ProeA:

Propenoic acid

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the students Johannes Winkler and Markus Götz from the University of Hohenheim for their efforts in experimentation and analytics as well as Sonja Habicht, Hermann Köhler, and Armin Lautenbach from the Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology for the technical support regarding the analysis of solid and liquid samples.

Funding

The work was financially supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the project Humboldt Reloaded during the winter semester 2017/2018.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, via Messiano 77, 38123, Trento, Italy

    Dominik Wüst & Luca Fiori

  2. Department of Conversion Technology of Biobased Resources, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse 9, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany

    Dominik Wüst, Catalina Rodriguez Correa, Dennis Jung & Andrea Kruse

  3. Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Leopoldshafen-Eggenstein, Germany

    Michael Zimmermann

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  1. Dominik Wüst
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  2. Catalina Rodriguez Correa
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  3. Dennis Jung
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  4. Michael Zimmermann
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  5. Andrea Kruse
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  6. Luca Fiori
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Correspondence to Dominik Wüst.

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Highlights

• Detailed understanding of the reaction pathways originated from oligosaccharides during the hydrothermal carbonization of soft lignocellulosic biomass

• Control of mass transfer during hydrolysis of oligosaccharides from small biomass particle sizes through the fast condensation and polymerization of reactive dehydration products

• Enhancement of yields and carbon retention efficiencies during hydrothermal carbonization by recirculation of residual process water from HMF synthesis instead of using water

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Wüst, D., Correa, C.R., Jung, D. et al. Understanding the influence of biomass particle size and reaction medium on the formation pathways of hydrochar. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 10, 1357–1380 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-019-00488-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-019-00488-0

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