Visualization of physicochemical phenomena during biomass pyrolysis in an optically accessible reactor

Abstract The thermochemical conversion of biomass via fast pyrolysis requires detailed descriptions of both the kinetic and heat and mass transport rates, which are often in direct competition. To investigate the evolution of products, whole biomass and biomass constituents (e.g. cellulose and lignin) are pyrolyzed in a novel optically accessible reactor. This enables real-time, in situ observation of the temporal evolution of light-oxygenates, volatile sugars, and phenolic compounds during melting, agglomeration, ejection, and volatilization of biomass under realistic heating rates (∼100 K/s). Both cellulose and lignin underwent liquefaction, but liquid coalescence in lignin limits vapor transport. This is overcome by dispersing extracted lignin in an inert matrix, and confirms the predominant mass transport of pyrolysis products from whole biomass, cellulose, and lignin occurs via devolatilization. These results differ from prior work on single-particle pyrolysis and reveal thermochemical mechanisms that are relevant for typical large-scale pyrolysis processes with transport limitations.

• Publication year

  2019

• Venue

  Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis

• Publication date

  2019-10-01

• Fields of study

  Materials Science, Chemistry, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/J.JAAP.2019.104667
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Progress in understanding the four dominant intra-particle phenomena of lignocellulose pyrolysis: chemical reactions, heat transfer, mass transfer, and phase change

  2019cited by this paper
• Identification of the fractions responsible for morphology conservation in lignocellulosic pyrolysis: Visualization studies of sugarcane bagasse and its pseudo-components

  2017influential reference
• Quantitative Insights into the Fast Pyrolysis of Extracted Cellulose, Hemicelluloses, and Lignin

  2017cited by this paper
• What role for the bioeconomy in an electrified transportation sector?

  2017cited by this paper
• Biobased alkylphenols from lignins via a two-step pyrolysis - Hydrodeoxygenation approach.

  2017cited by this paper
• Lignin Valorization through Thermochemical Conversion: Comparison of Hardwood, Softwood and Herbaceous Lignin

  2016cited by this paper
• Reaction mechanisms and multi-scale modelling of lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis

  2016influential reference
• Spontaneous Aerosol Ejection: Origin of Inorganic Particles in Biomass Pyrolysis.

  2016cited by this paper
• Micro-explosion of liquid intermediates during the fast pyrolysis of sucrose and organosolv lignin

  2016cited by this paper
• Pyrolysis behaviors of four lignin polymers isolated from the same pine wood.

  2015cited by this paper
• The use of calcium hydroxide pretreatment to overcome agglomeration of technical lignin during fast pyrolysis

  2015cited by this paper
• Formation of Anhydro-sugars in the Primary Volatiles and Solid Residues from Cellulose Fast Pyrolysis in a Wire-Mesh Reactor

  2014cited by this paper
• Boiling point of levoglucosan and devolatilization temperatures in cellulose pyrolysis measured at different heating area temperatures

  2014cited by this paper
• Continuous production of sugars from pyrolysis of acid-infused lignocellulosic biomass

  2014cited by this paper
• Formation of phenolic oligomers during fast pyrolysis of lignin

  2014cited by this paper
• Slow and fast pyrolysis of Douglas-fir lignin: Importance of liquid-intermediate formation on the distribution of products

  2014cited by this paper
• Experimental and Mechanistic Modeling of Fast Pyrolysis of Neat Glucose-Based Carbohydrates. 2. Validation and Evaluation of the Mechanistic Model

  2014cited by this paper
• Experimental and Mechanistic Modeling of Fast Pyrolysis of Neat Glucose-Based Carbohydrates. 1. Experiments and Development of a Detailed Mechanistic Model

  2014cited by this paper
• Shale gas revolution: an opportunity for the production of biobased chemicals?

  2013cited by this paper
• An experimental study of the competing processes of evaporation and polymerization of levoglucosan in cellulose pyrolysis.

  2013cited by this paper
• Fast pyrolysis in a novel wire-mesh reactor: design and initial results

  2012cited by this paper
• Formate-Assisted Fast Pyrolysis of Lignin

  2012cited by this paper
• Review of fast pyrolysis of biomass and product upgrading

  2012cited by this paper
• A mechanistic model of fast pyrolysis of glucose-based carbohydrates to predict bio-oil composition

  2012cited by this paper
• Top ten fundamental challenges of biomass pyrolysis for biofuels.

  2012influential reference
• Use of Nickel Oxide as a Catalyst for Tar Elimination in a Chemical-Looping Reforming Reactor Operated with Biomass Producer Gas

  2012cited by this paper
• The origin of molecular mobility during biomass pyrolysis as revealed by in situ (1)H NMR spectroscopy.

  2012cited by this paper
• Understanding the fast pyrolysis of lignin.

  2011cited by this paper
• Aerosol generation by reactive boiling ejection of molten cellulose

  2011cited by this paper
• Distinguishing primary and secondary reactions of cellulose pyrolysis.

  2011cited by this paper
• Lignin fast pyrolysis: results from an international collaboration.

  2010cited by this paper
• Reactive boiling of cellulose for integrated catalysis through an intermediate liquid

  2009cited by this paper
• Real-Time and Post-reaction Microscopic Structural Analysis of Biomass Undergoing Pyrolysis

  2009cited by this paper
• Energy production from biomass (Part 1): Overview of biomass.

  2002cited by this paper
• Vapor Pressures and Enthalpies of Sublimation of d-Glucose, d-Xylose, Cellobiose, and Levoglucosan

  1999cited by this paper
• Principles of optics : electromagnetic theory of propagation, interference and diffraction of light

  1999cited by this paper
• Measurements and modeling of acetone laser-induced fluorescence with implications for temperature-imaging diagnostics.

  1998cited by this paper
• Direct mass-spectrometric studies of the pyrolysis of carbonaceous fuels: III. Primary pyrolysis of lignin

  1986cited by this paper
• Analytical Pyrolysis of Hardwood and Softwood Lignins and Its use in Lignin-Type Determination of Hardwood Vessel Elements

  1983cited by this paper
• Principles of Optics : Electromagnetic theory of propagation

  1970cited by this paper

• Inorganics from kraft black liquor enable rapid oxidative crosslinking and morphology control in lignin derived hard carbons.

  2026cites this paper
• Production of sugars from lignocellulosic biomass via biochemical and thermochemical routes

  2024cites this paper
• Effect of quantitative heat transfer performance on the separation and enrichment of bio-oil components during the selective condensation of biomass pyrolysis vapors

  2023cites this paper
• Pilot-scale flue gas pyrolysis system for organic and plastic wastes with improved liquid properties in a non-thermal plasma reactor

  2023cites this paper
• Lignin to value-added products: Research updates and prospects.

  2023cites this paper
• The effect of ferrous sulfate pretreatment on the optimal temperature for production of sugars during autothermal pyrolysis

  2023cites this paper
• Pyrolysis of boron-crosslinked lignin: influence on lignin softening and product properties.

  2022cites this paper
• The role of catalytic iron in enhancing volumetric sugar productivity during autothermal pyrolysis of woody biomass

  2022cites this paper
• Structural changes from vibration welding of maple and pine woods analyzed by solid-state NMR

  2022cites this paper
• Impacts of the hydroxyls crosslinking on lignin softening and pyrolysis via in situ 1H NMR, rheology, DRIFT and SPI-MS

  2022cites this paper
• Recent Modeling Approaches to Biomass Pyrolysis: A Review

  2021cites this paper
• Pretreatments for the continuous production of pyrolytic sugar from lignocellulosic biomass

  2020cites this paper
• Heterodoxy in Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass

  2020cites this paper
• Vacuum Pyrolysis of Hybrid Poplar Milled Wood Lignin with Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Feedstock and Products for the Elucidation of Reaction Mechanisms

  2020cites this paper
• Oxidation of phenolic compounds during autothermal pyrolysis of lignocellulose

  2020cites this paper
• A Review on Lignin Liquefaction: Advanced Characterization of Structure and Microkinetic Modeling

  2020cites this paper