Optimization of microwave-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment and its effect on pyrolytic oil quality obtained by an auger reactor

Álvarez-Chávez, Brenda J.; Godbout, Stéphane; Raghavan, Vijaya

doi:10.18331/BRJ2021.8.1.3

Optimization of microwave-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment and its effect on pyrolytic oil quality obtained by an auger reactor

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Brenda J. Álvarez-Chávez ¹^{, 2}

Stéphane Godbout ²

Vijaya Raghavan ¹

¹ McGill University, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Sainte-Anne-de- Bellevue, Canada.

² Research and Development Institute for the Agri-Environment (IRDA), Québec, Canada.

10.18331/BRJ2021.8.1.3

Abstract

Microwave-assisted hydrothermal (MHT) treatment of biomass has received significant attention owing to energy efficiency during internal energy transfer and the additional benefits to the hydrochar produced in terms of physicochemical composition. Therefore, this study proposes the combination of MHT pretreatment with the fast pyrolysis process, to evaluate and optimize the effect of this treatment on the quality of the hydrochar and, consequently, on the quality of the bio-oil. The optimization of MHT treatment using black spruce was carried out, followed by fast pyrolysis of the hydrochar produced under optimal conditions in an auger reactor at 550 °C to obtain a high-quality bio-oil. As a result, the pretreated biomass showed on the one hand a significant decrease in the ash content by 58% and 43% in the content of the extractives. While on the other hand, the obtained hydrochar showed an increase in the availability of cellulose by 18.5% as a consequence of the reduction in the content of hemicellulose. Accordingly, hydrochar showed an increase in thermal stability during pyrolysis and it produced a higher total bio-oil yield, increasing by 24%. Most importantly, the oil obtained showed a 35% reduction in moisture content. Chemical composition of the oil was qualitatively examined through GC-MS analysis. It was observed that the bio-oil showed a dramatic increase in the relative content of levoglucosan, by 127%. A bio-oil with the characteristics obtained would be a suitable candidate for use in boilers for heating purposes or chemical extraction.

Graphical Abstract

Optimization of microwave-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment and its effect on pyrolytic oil quality obtained by an auger reactor

Highlights

Microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment (MHT) of biomass led to a decrease of 58% in ash content and 43% in extractives.

Pretreatment increased cellulose availability by 18.5% via hemicellulose reduction.

MHT-pretreated hydrochar exhibited enhanced thermal stability during pyrolysis.

Pyrolyzed hydrochar increased bio-oil yield by 24% and decreased moisture by 35%.

Relative content of levoglucosan significantly increased by 127% in hydrochar bio-oil.

Keywords

microwave

hydrothermal pre-treatment

fast pyrolysis

bio-oil composition

response surface methodology

[1] Alvarez-Chavez, B.J., Godbout, S., Le Roux, E., Palacios, J.H., Raghavan, V., 2019a. Bio-oil yield and quality enhancement through fast pyrolysis and fractional condensation concepts. Biofuel Res. J. 24, 1054-1064.

[2] Alvarez-Chavez, B.J., Godbout, S., Palacios-Rios, J.H., Le Roux, E., Raghavan, V., 2019b. Physical, chemical, thermal and biological pre-treatment technologies in fast pyrolysis to maximize bio-oil quality: a critical review. Biomass Bioenergy. 128, 105333.

[3] Asadieraghi, M., Daud, W.M.A.W., 2014. Characterization of lignocellulosic biomass thermal degradation and physiochemical structure: effects of demineralization by diverse acid solutions. Energy Convers. Manage. 82, 71-82.

[4] Beneroso, D., Monti, T., Kostas, E.T., Robinson, J., 2017. Microwave pyrolysis of biomass for bio-oil production: scalable processing concepts. Chem. Eng. J. 316, 481-498.

[5] Bhattacharya, M., Basak, T., 2016. A review on the susceptor assisted microwave processing of materials. Energy. 97, 306-338.

[6] Brassard, P., Godbout, S., Pelletier, F., Raghavan, V., Palacios, J.H., 2018. Pyrolysis of switchgrass in an auger reactor for biochar production: a greenhouse gas and energy impacts assessment. Biomass Bioenergy. 116, 99-105.

[7] Brunner, M., Li, H., Zhang, Z., Zhang, D., Atkin, R., 2019. Pinewood pyrolysis occurs at lower temperatures following treatment with choline-amino acid ionic liquids. Fuel. 236, 306-312.

[8] Campuzano, F., Brown, R.C., Martinez, J.D., 2019. Auger reactors for pyrolysis of biomass and wastes. Renew. Sust. Energy Rev. 102, 372-409.

[9] Chang, Q., Gao, R., Li, H., Yu, G., Liu, X., Wang, F., 2018. Understanding of formation mechanisms of fine particles formed during rapid pyrolysis of biomass. Fuel. 216, 538-547.

[10] Chang, S., Zhao, Z., Zheng, A., Li, X., Wang, X., Huang, Z., He, F., Li, H., 2013. Effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on properties of bio-oil produced from fast pyrolysis of eucalyptus wood in a fluidized bed reactor. Bioresour. Technol. 138, 321-328.

[11] Dai, L., He, C., Wang, Y., Liu, Y., Yu, Z., Zhou, Y., Fan, L., Duan, D., Ruan, R., 2017. Comparative study on microwave and conventional hydrothermal pretreatment of bamboo sawdust: hydrochar properties and its pyrolysis behaviors. Energy Convers. Manage. 146, 1-7.

[12] Dai, L., He, C., Wang, Y., Liu, Y., Ruan, R., Yu, Z., Zhou, Y., Duan, D., Fan, L., Zhao, Y., 2018. Hydrothermal pretreatment of bamboo sawdust using microwave irradiation. Bioresour. Technol. 247, 234-241.

[13] Dobele, G., Zhurinsh, A., Volperts, A., Jurkjane, V., Pomilovskis, R., Meile, K., 2020. Study of levoglucosenone obtained in analytical pyrolysis and screw-type reactor, separation and distillation. Wood Sci. Technol. 54(2), 383-400.

[14] Ermolenko, M.S., 2013. Convenient and efficient synthesis of 2, 4-dideoxy-levoglucosan. Synth. Commun. 43(21), 2841-2845.

[15] Ferreira, S.C., Bruns, R.E., Ferreira, H.S., Matos, G.D., David, J.M., Brandao, G.C., da Silva, E.P., Portugal, L.A., Reis, P.S., Souza, A.S., dos Santos, W.N.L., 2007. Box-Behnken design: an alternative for the optimization of analytical methods. Anal. Chim. Acta. 597(2), 179-186.

[16] Hilbers, T.J., Wang, Z., Pecha, B., Westerhof, R.J., Kersten, S.R., Pelaez-Samaniego, M.R., Garcia-Perez, M., 2015. Cellulose-Lignin interactions during slow and fast pyrolysis. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis. 114, 197-207.

[17] Holopainen-Mantila, U., Marjamaa, K., Merali, Z., Kasper, A., de Bot, P., Jaaskelainen, A.S., Waldron, K., Kruus, K., Tamminen, T., 2013. Impact of hydrothermal pre-treatment to chemical composition, enzymatic digestibility and spatial distribution of cell wall polymers. Bioresour. Technol. 138, 156-162.

[18] Imran, A., Bramer, E.A., Seshan, K., Brem, G., 2018. An overview of catalysts in biomass pyrolysis for production of biofuels. Biofuel Res. J. 5(4), 872-885.

[19] Jalalifar, S., Abbassi, R., Garaniya, V., Salehi, F., Papari, S., Hawboldt, K., Strezov, V., 2020. CFD analysis of fast pyrolysis process in a pilot-scale auger reactor. Fuel. 273, 117782.

[20] Kalargaris, I., Tian, G., Gu, S., 2017. Influence of advanced injection timing and fuel additive on combustion, performance, and emission characteristics of a DI diesel engine running on plastic pyrolysis oil. J. Combust., 2017.

[21] Kambo, H.S., Dutta, A., 2015. A comparative review of biochar and hydrochar in terms of production, physico-chemical properties and applications. Renew. Sust. Energy Rev. 45, 359-378.

[22] Krutof, A., Hawboldt, K., 2016. Blends of pyrolysis oil, petroleum, and other bio-based fuels: a review. Renew. Sust. Energy Rev. 59, 406-419.

[23] Krutof, A., Hawboldt, K.A., 2020. Thermodynamic model of fast pyrolysis bio-oil advanced distillation curves. Fuel. 261, 116446.

[24] Lam, S.S., Mahari, W.A.W., Ma, N.L., Azwar, E., Kwon, E.E., Peng, W., Chong, C.T., Liu, Z., Park, Y.K., 2019a. Microwave pyrolysis valorization of used baby diaper. Chemosphere. 230, 294-302.

[25] Lam, S.S., Mahari, W.A.W., Ok, Y.S., Peng, W., Chong, C.T., Ma, N.L., Chase, H.A., Liew, Z., Yusup, S., Kwon, E.E., Tsang, D.C., 2019b. Microwave vacuum pyrolysis of waste plastic and used cooking oil for simultaneous waste reduction and sustainable energy conversion: recovery of cleaner liquid fuel and techno-economic analysis. Renew. Sust. Energy Rev. 115, 109359.

[26] Le Roux, E., Chaouch, M., Diouf, P.N., Stevanovic, T., 2015. Impact of a pressurized hot water treatment on the quality of bio-oil produced from aspen. Biomass Bioenergy. 81, 202-209.

[27] Patwardhan, P.R., Satrio, J.A., Brown, R.C., Shanks, B.H., 2010. Influence of inorganic salts on the primary pyrolysis products of cellulose. Bioresour. Technol. 101(12), 4646-4655.

[28] Pecha, B., Arauzo, P., Garcia-Perez, M., 2015. Impact of combined acid washing and acid impregnation on the pyrolysis of Douglas fir wood. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis. 114, 127-137.

[29] Pourkarimi, S., Hallajisani, A., Alizadehdakhel, A., Nouralishahi, A., 2019. Biofuel production through micro- and macroalgae pyrolysis-a review of pyrolysis methods and process parameters. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis. 142, 104599.

[30] Qureshi, S.S., Nizamuddin, S., Baloch, H.A., Siddiqui, M.T.H., Mubarak, N.M., Griffin, G.J., 2019. An overview of OPS from oil palm industry as feedstock for bio-oil production. Biomass Convers. Biorefin. 9(4), 827-841.

[31] Ren, X., Gou, J., Wang, W., Li, Q., Chang, J., Li, B., 2013. Optimization of bark fast pyrolysis for the production of phenol-rich bio-oil. Bioresources. 8(4), 6481-6492.

[32] Sharma, H.B., Sarmah, A.K., Dubey, B., 2020. Hydrothermal carbonization of renewable waste biomass for solid biofuel production: a discussion on process mechanism, the influence of process parameters, environmental performance and fuel properties of hydrochar. Renew. Sust. Energ. Rev. 123, 109761.

[33] Shen, D.K., Siderius, D.W., Krekelberg, W.P., Hatch, H.W., 2017. NIST standard reference simulation website, September 2017 ed. National institute of standards and technology, gaithersburg MD, 20899.

[34] Soltanian, S., Lee, C.L., Lam, S.S., 2020. A review on the role of hierarchical zeolites in the production of transportation fuels through catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass. Biofuel Res. J. 7(3), 1217-1234.

[35] Wang, J., Wei, Q., Zheng, J., Zhu, M., 2016. Effect of pyrolysis conditions on levoglucosan yield from cotton straw and optimization of levoglucosan extraction from bio-oil. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis. 122, 294-303.

[36] Wu, X., Wu, Y., Wu, K., Chen, Y., Hu, H., Yang, M., 2015. Study on pyrolytic kinetics and behavior: the co-pyrolysis of microalgae and polypropylene. Bioresour. Technol. 192, 522-528.

[37] Yao, Z., Ma, X., 2018. Effects of hydrothermal treatment on the pyrolysis behavior of Chinese fan palm. Bioresour. Technol. 247, 504-512.

[38] Yu, J., Paterson, N., Blamey, J., Millan, M., 2017. Cellulose, xylan and lignin interactions during pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. Fuel. 191, 140-149.

[39] Zhang, S., Dong, Q., Zhang, L., Xiong, Y., 2016. Effects of water washing and torrefaction on the pyrolysis behavior and kinetics of rice husk through TGA and Py-GC/MS. Bioresour. Technol. 199, 352-361.

[40] Zheng, A., Zhao, Z., Chang, S., Huang, Z., Zhao, K., Wei, G., He, F., Li, H., 2015. Comparison of the effect of wet and dry torrefaction on chemical structure and pyrolysis behavior of corncobs. Bioresour. Technol. 176, 15-22.