Abstract
Torrefaction is the thermal pretreatment of biomass at temperatures of 200-300 degrees C in an inert atmosphere with the objectives of improving resistance to biodegradation, reducing hydrophilicity, improving grindability and increasing energy density. In this work, we studied the effect of torrefaction temperature (240-280 degrees C) on the chemistry of birch wood. The samples were from a pilot plant at ECN, and in that way, they were representative of industrially produced samples. We have measured the concentration of hemicellulose and cellulose; changes in the extractives content and composition; and in the lignin structure. We used acid methanolysis and acid hydrolysis for hemicellulose and cellulose analysis, respectively; Klason lignin method, C-13 CP-MAS NMR, Dipolar Dephasing NMR, and Py-GC-MS analysis for lignin characterization; and acetone extraction, HPSEC, GC-FID, and GC-MS analysis for extractives characterization. The results provide a more complete picture of the chemical changes in wood by torrefaction.
Original language | Undefined/Unknown |
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Pages (from-to) | 3863–3872 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Energy and Fuels |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |