Wet torrefaction of biomass waste into levulinic acid and high-quality hydrochar using H-beta zeolite catalyst

Kostyniuk, Andrii (author), Likozar, Blaž (author)

Wet torrefaction (WT) is an effective pretreatment method of biomass waste for producing high-quality hydrochar and valuable liquid products. This study delves into how acid catalysts and reaction conditions in WT impact the resulting hydrochar’s surface characteristics and elemental composition, as well as the distribution of liquid products. The focus is on utilizing wood cellulose pulp residue (WCPR) as the feedstock with H-Beta zeolite catalyst in a nitrogen-rich environment. The WT process involves a temperature range of 180–260 °C, and reaction durations spanning 15–60 min. The findings reveal that WT conditions, including the catalyst for WCPR, significantly influence the hydrochar’s properties and liquid product distribution. With increasing temperature and reaction time, the hydrochar experiences changes, including increased carbon content and reduced oxygen content. The study identifies 260 °C and 30 min as the optimal temperature and time for levulinic acid production, achieving a remarkable selectivity of 62.8% with the H-Beta zeolite catalyst using H$_2$O/WCPR = 10. Various properties of the resulting hydrochar are assessed, including higher heating values (HHVs), decarbonization (DC), dehydrogenation (DH), deoxygenation (DO), enhancement factor, carbon enrichment, surface area, pore diameter, weight loss as well as solid, carbon, hydrogen, and energy yields. The WT + Beta_220 sample, processed at 220 °C for 30 min, exhibited the highest HHV at 30.3 MJ/kg and carbon content at 78.9% in hydrochar compared to various biomass types, with an enhancement factor of 1.51 and carbon enrichment of 1.63, while the sequence of element removal during WT prioritized as DO > DH > DC. Furthermore, it is worth highlighting that the most significant weight loss, increasing from 17.0 to 60.7%, was observed under the same WT conditions. Lastly, a comprehensive reaction pathway is proposed to elucidate the WT of WCPR with the presence of H-Beta zeolite catalyst under these optimized conditions.

• Language: English
• Keywords: biomass waste, cellulose, hydrochar, levulinic acid, wet torrefaction
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 16 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 449, art. 141735
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-156264
• UDC: 577
• ISSN on article: 1879-1786
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141735
• COBISS.SI-ID: 189812227
• Publication date in RUL: 16.05.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of cleaner production
• Shortened title: J. clean. prod.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1879-1786
• COBISS.SI-ID: 23108357

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: biokemija, biomasa, odpadna biomasa, celuloza, levulinska kislina

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: HE
• Project number: 101084443
• Name: Carbon Negative Biofuels from Organic Waste
• Acronym: CARBIOW

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: HE
• Project number: 101086411
• Name: BIOmass Valorisation via Superheated Steam Torrefaction, Pyrolisis, Gasification Amplified by Multidisciplinary Researchers TRAINining for Multiple Energy and Products’ Added VALUEs
• Acronym: BioTrainValue