Search

Combustion (pyrolysis with oxygen) and pyrolysis without oxygen are two potential methods to convert wood into biofuels or biochemicals. To evaluate which is preponderant to convert wood into biofuels or biochemicals and provide guidance for optimization of product yield, the pyrolysis characteristics and kinetics of typical hardwood (black walnut) are comparatively investigated in nitrogen and air employing thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Two model-free methods including Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) method are applied to obtain the kinetic parameters, and a model-fitting method called Coats-Redfern (CR) method is employed to estimate the reaction mechanism. The black walnut pyrolysis in nitrogen may be divided into two stages with the threshold of conversion rate α = 0.4, but that in air may be separated into three stages with the thresholds of α = 0.25 and 0.7. The reaction mechanism for pyrolysis in nitrogen may be assumed random nucleation and its subsequent growth, but that in air may be assumed random nucleation and its subsequent growth followed by chemical reaction. The average activation energy and natural logarithm of pre-exponential factor for the whole pyrolysis process in nitrogen and air are 211.59 and 187.73 kJ/mol and 32.33 and 28.36 min -1 , respectively.

Red ceramic industry in southern Brazil commonly uses wood biomass as furnace fuel generating great amounts of gas emissions and ash. To avoid their impact on atmospheric environment, wet scrubbing is currently being applied in several plants. However, the water leachate formed could be potentially toxic and not managed as a common water-based effluent, since the resulting wastewater could carry many toxic compounds derived from wood pyrolysis. There is a lack of studies regarding this kind of effluent obtained specifically and strictly from wooden-based biomass furnaces. Therefore, we conducted an evaluation of toxic and genotoxic potentials of this particular type of wet gas scrubber effluent. Physical-chemical analysis showed high contents of several contaminants, including phenols, sulphates and ammoniacal nitrogen, as well as the total and suspended solids. The effluent cause significant toxicity towards microcrustacean Artemia sp. (LC 50 = 34.4%) and Daphnia magna (Toxicity Factor = 6 on average) and to higher plants (Lactuca sativa L. and Allium cepa L.) with acute and sub-acute effects in several parameters. Besides, using plasmid DNA, significant damage was observed in concentrations 12.5% and higher. In cellular DNA, concentrations starting from 12.5% and 6.25% showed significant increase in Damage Index (DI) and Damage Frequency (DF), respectively. The results altogether suggest that the effluent components, such phenols, produced by wood combustion can be volatilized, water scrubbed, resulting in a toxic and genotoxic effluent which could contaminate the environment., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The thermogravimetric and chemical characterization of hardwood Eucalyptus urophylla (Ep) and softwood Pinus massoniana (Mp) pretreated by brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum were investigated. The results indicated that the brown-rot fungus pretreatment can optimize the thermal decomposition and decrease the initiation temperatures (8-11°C lower) of both the Ep and Mp pyrolysis. The mean activation energy values of the bio-treated samples were 29.7kJ/mol (for Ep) and 42.3kJ/mol (for Mp) lower than that of the un-treated samples at the conversion rate from 0.1 to 0.7 based on Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) method. After the bio-pretreatment, the required temperatures were lower (4-7°C) for the pyrolysis rates of hemicellulose and cellulose in Mp reaching maximum and termination. However, the situation was just the opposite for Ep. The variations in chemical properties of hydrogen bonding, as well as the relative changes in lignin/carbohydrate composition of both wood species were also examined., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fabricating non-noble metal-based carbon air electrodes with highly efficient bifunctionality is big challenge owing to the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER). The efficient cathode catalyst is urgently needed to further improve the performance of rechargeable zinc-air batteries. Herein, an activation-doping assisted interface modification strategy is demonstrated based on freestanding integrated carbon composite (CoNiLDH@NPC) composed of wood-based N and P doped active carbon (NPC) and CoNi layer double hydroxides (CoNiLDH). In the light of its large specific surface area and unique defective structure, CoNiLDH@NPC with strong interfacecoupling effect in 2D-3D micro-nanostructure exhibits outstanding bifunctionality. Such carbon composites show half-wave potential of 0.85 V for ORR, overpotential of 320 mV with current density of 10 mA cm-2 for OER, and ultra-low gap of 0.70 V. Furthermore, highly-ordered open channels of wood provide enormous space to form abundant triple-phase boundary for accelerating the catalytic process. Consequently, zinc-air batteries using CoNiLDH@NPC show high power density (aqueous: 263 mW cm-2, quasi-solid-state: 65.8 mW cm-2) and long-term stability (aqueous: 500 h, quasi-solid-state: 120 h). This integrated protocol opens a new avenue for the rational design of efficient freestanding air electrode from biomass resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermo-chemical conversion of biomass wastes is a practical approach for the value-added reclamation of bioenergy in large quantities, and pyrolysis plays a core role in this process. In this work, poplar (PR) and cedar (CR) were used as staple wood biomasses to investigate the apparent kinetics of TG/DTG at different heating rates. Secondly, miscellaneous wood chips (MWC), in which PR and CR were mixed in equal proportion, were subjected to comprehensive investigations on their pyrolysis behavior and product evolution in a fixed bed reactor with pyrolysis temperature, catalyst, and the flow rate H2O steam as influencing factors. The results demonstrated that both PR and CR underwent three consecutive pyrolysis stages, the TG/DTG curves shifted to higher temperatures, and the peak temperature intervals also enhanced as the heating rate increased. The kinetic compensation effect expression and apparent reaction kinetic model of CR and PR pyrolysis were obtained based on the law of mass action and the Arrhenius equation; the reaction kinetic parameter averages of Ea and A of its were almost the same, which were about 72.38 kJ/mol and 72.36 kJ/mol and 1147.11 min−1 and 1144.39 min−1, respectively. The high temperature was beneficial for the promotion of the pyrolysis of biomass, increased pyrolysis gas yield, and reduced tar yield. This process was strengthened in the presence of the catalyst, thus significantly increasing the yield of hydrogen-rich gas to 117.9 mL/g-biomass. It was observed that H2O steam was the most effective activator for providing a hydrogen source for the whole reaction process, promoted the reaction to proceed in the opposite direction of H2O steam participation, and was beneficial to the production of H2 and other hydrocarbons. In particular, when the flow rate of H2O steam was 1 mL/min, the gas yield and hydrogen conversion were 76.94% and 15.90%, and the H2/CO was 2.07. The yields of H2, CO, and CO2 in the gas formation were significantly increased to 107.35 mL/g-biomass, 53.70 mL/g-biomass, and 99.31 mL/g-biomass, respectively. Therefore, H2 was the most dominant species among gas products, followed by C-O bond-containing species, which provides a method for the production of hydrogen-rich gas and also provides ideas for compensating or partially replacing the fossil raw material for hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper is devoted to identifying supply chain management methods applicable within reverse supply chains of wood biomass. In general, sustainable supply chains are characterised by increased process efficiency. Reverse supply chains also require proper management. Hence it is necessary to verify the applicability of existing management methods and tools within chains of this type. This article is devoted to identifying management methods and tools that have the potential to be used in reverse supply chains of wood biomass. Particular emphasis was placed on the well-known green supply chain management approach (GrSC), the concept of Zero Waste Management, the product life cycle (LCA), cost-effectiveness, and environmental efficiency. The possibility of adopting the available methods in reverse wood biomass supply chains has been analysed with reference to the limitations and opportunities resulting from the methods used. Methods: The research was divided into two stages. In the first stage, an in-depth argumentative literature review (ALR) was performed to identify methods and tools suitable for implementation within reverse supply chains of wood biomass. The second stage outlined boundaries and possibilities for implementing management methods within reverse supply chains of wood biomass. Results: The study indicated the potential to implement available management solutions in reverse supply chains of wood biomass. However, it is necessary to consider the specificity of wood biomass material flows and the characteristic elements of supply chain infrastructure they require. Conclusions: The results show that sustainable supply chain management methods are suitable for use in reverse supply chains of wood biomass. It is necessary to consider the specific characteristics of wood biomass and the location of its acquisition points in existing supply chains. A number of limitations, related to the availability of data, their quality, the location of biomass sourcing locations and processing centres, and the degree of integration of internal processes resulting from the size of the company dealing with wood biomass processing, are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of experimental studies of the process of drying a layer of relatively large thickness (up to 100 mm) of woody biomass under conditions of radiation-convective heating. Based on the temperature values recorded in the experiments at the characteristic points of the biomass layer during the drying period, an analysis was made of the influence of the density of the filling of finely dispersed wood (pine shavings, sawdust) on the drying times. It has been established that the compaction of biomass leads to a significant acceleration (by 1.5–2 times, depending on the ambient temperature) of the drying process. A physical model is formulated that describes a complex of heat and mass transfer processes that occur during heating of woody biomass under compaction conditions. It is shown that a 1.7-fold increase in the density of a layer of finely dispersed wood (with an initial thickness of 100 mm) leads to an increase in the layer temperature during the entire drying period by an average of 23%. In order to substantiate the established regularities, an analysis was made of the change in the thermal conductivity of biomass during its compaction using a group of mathematical models of the thermal conductivity of heterogeneous media. The results of the theoretical analysis showed that the increase in the efficiency of biomass drying during its compaction occurs as a result of an increase in the effective thermal conductivity of the layer of crushed woody biomass. The results of the experiments clearly illustrate the possibility of increasing the efficiency of drying dispersed woody biomass without additional costs for optimizing heat and mass transfer processes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the speedy advancement of wireless communications, electromagnetic wave (EMW) pollution and electromagnetic interference (EMI) are gradually austere, which makes it an urgent need to develop high-performance EMW absorbers and shields. Carbon-based materials are important members of the family of EMW absorbing and shielding materials, due to their satisfactory electrical conductivity, low density, and good corrosion resistance. Especially, wood biomass-derived carbon materials, including carbonized cellulose, lignin and wood monolith, are acclaimed for their rich conductive network, unique porous structure, and effective loading of functional fillers, which promotes high-efficiency EMW absorption and shielding, and provides a new idea for using wood biomass resources in a high-value way. Additionally, due to the high yield of wood biomass, the mass production of carbonized wood biomass-derived EMW absorbers and EMI shields becomes more promising compared with other carbon materials. Hence, relevant studies should be summarized. Meanwhile, the functions of carbon materials need to be clarified and the importance of carbon materials needs to be highlighted. In this review, the roles of wood biomass-derived carbon in various EMW absorbing and shielding materials were emphasized, along with an analysis of related studies. Meanwhile, the main obstacles and the prospects of wood biomass-derived carbon were proposed. [Display omitted] • Clarifying the electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption/shielding mechanism. • Reviewing the main functions of wood biomass-derived carbon in EMW absorbing/shielding. • Discussing future research directions and challenges of wood biomass-derived carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relative proportions of different chemical components in wood tissues is one of the underlying factors that control wood properties. These proportions vary within and between woody tissues, and an accurate description of these variations is critical for parameterizing forest biogeochemical budgets and models. White spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) spacing intensities trials in the Petawawa Research Forest, Ontario, Canada, were sampled to evaluate variations in carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and hydrogen (H) concentrations between different tissue types, i.e., bark, cambium, knots, earlywood, latewood, and wood. Samples were freeze-dried and oven-dried to test the impact of the drying methods on these chemical elements. Freeze-dried C (51.14) and H (6.18) concentrations were significantly higher than those of oven-dried C (50.55) and H (6.06). Freeze-dried N (0.18) did not differ from oven-dried N (0.17). The spacing intensities impacted C, H, and N, with C content being higher in wider square spacings (4.3 m and 6.1 m), while the reverse was true for N and H, which exhibited higher content in smaller square spacings (1.2 m and 1.8 m). The results of this study also suggested that when it comes to the content of chemical elements, bark and knots should be treated as separate fuel types, whereas other woody tissues can be aggregated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A manufacturing company, which uses obsolete processes and technologies, due to the economic crisis, is evaluating a possible conversion to the energy sector. The paper presents a careful analysis of local resources in the mountain area of Carnia (Italy), identifying the available wood biomass, using Geographic Information System (GIS) instruments. The biomass can be exploited in energy generation plants and represents, a good option with a high margin of profit and takes advantage of the district heating technology. The technical feasibility also used numeric regional cartography to assess the energy needs, while the economic feasibility is highly influenced by local regulations on public incentives, established to reach the environmental goals set by the international treaties. On the other hand, the environmental sustainability of these plants is often positive, even if related to the local context. The consequent reduction of CO2 emissions is relevant, as long as the location of the boiler room is correctly identified in order to optimize the supply chain from the forests to the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectiveness is the prism through which supply chains are defined. Different management methods can be used to measure supply chain effectiveness, such as life cycle assessment or sustainable supply chain management. In order to properly model and manage reverse supply chains for wood biomass, the structure of the supply chains was examined. For this purpose, a correlation analysis of the basic parameters of wood biomass reverse supply chains was carried out. After their identification, the level of mutual correlation was verified using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The coefficient of determination r2 was also verified for the two parameters with the highest degree of interaction - the sales of wood chips and the purchase of wood biomass. To improve the verification, scatter plots were made to further confirm the degree of interaction. As a result of the analysis of the parameter interdependencies and a discussion of the results of other international studies, the parameters were found to be applicable in modelling effective reverse supply chains of wood biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon foam, an extremely attractive new material type for important fields of application, with low density (0.28 g cm-3 ), low thermal conductivity (0.110 W m-1 K-1 ), relatively high compressive strength (3.5 MPa), high electrical conductivity (29.8 S m-1 ), and very high electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (46 dB) was experimentally made using recycled wood biomass from industrial wood processing and aqueous solution of sucrose. The carbonization was performed by heating at 750 ºC through microwave irradiation technique, the pressed and dried material in the intermediate state being introduced into a SiC crucible with a lid, thermally protected with ceramic fiber, without inert medium. The specific energy consumption was very low (0.785 kWh/kg), unlike the high energy consumption of the usually carbonization stages. The optimal carbon foam specimen was considered suitable for the special application fields (military, aeronautics, construction, transport). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thrust in biofuel production has pushed researchers in finding more of environmentally friendly materials for use as catalyst in the biofuel production process. Commercially available catalyst materials are not sustainable, and they generally incur higher cost of operation. In the present study, locally available native woods species of Manipur, India namely, Yenthou (Arundo donax.L) and Uningthou (Phoebe hainesiana) were exposed at elevated temperature of 400 °C and variable exposure time of 90 and 120 minutes for possible use as catalyst during biofuel production. Muffle furnace has been employed for production of catalyst and characterization techniques such as XRD, FT-IR and SEM with EDX are used. XRD analysis shows diffraction peak corresponding to (0 0 2), (1 0 0) and (1 0 1) of the face centered cubic phase at 28.61°, 28.54° and 30.02° respectively while Scherrer equation shows 29.737 nm as average grain size. FT-IR analysis also shows C=C formation from the samples. The SEM & EDX analysis shows good formation of carbon in the catalyst and the weight % of the components are obtained to be 89.18% and 10.82% for C and O respectively. Transesterification of waste cooking oil at 5% (wt%), 10:1, 75 °C and 60 minutes for catalyst loading rate, alcohol-to-oil ratio, reaction temperature and reaction time respectively shows conversion rate of 87.4±1.3% with reusability of 3 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, a tandem catalytic material, 5 wt % Pd/NbOPO 4 , was utilized in the depolymerization of wood in supercritical ethanol under hydrogen atmosphere. The experiments were conducted under various conditions, with fresh, and acetone extracted birch. A comprehensive analysis was performed to elucidate the dissolution efficiency and achieved product distribution. The results indicated that with fresh birch, 34 wt % of lignin monomer yield with 84 wt % delignification efficiency were obtained while with extracted wood, 35 wt % of lignin monomer yield with 78 wt % delignification efficiency were achieved. The total lignin monomer content extracted from the fresh birch is composed of 76.9 wt % of dimethoxyphenols and 16.5 wt % with the guaiacol structure. Major lignin monomer product was homosyringaldehyde (61.9 wt %). With extracted wood, 93.2 wt % of dimethoxyphenols (63.6 wt % homosyringaldehyde) and 6.8 wt % of guaiacol-monomers were achieved. It was concluded that the depolymerization occurred via breaking of the ether bonds in lignin, including ether hydrolysis by Lewis acid sites over the solid acid catalyst and with subsequent deoxygenation of monophenols over Pd. In addition, an extraction process was proposed to extract the aromatic fraction from the obtained biocrude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romania owns 6.592 million hectares, which represents 27% of the territorial area. One inhabitant owns 0.3 hectares of the entire forest fund. Failure to rationally exploit the forest fund can lead to environmental pollution. 11000000 m³/year are cleared annually, of which 0.1 is waste, so 11000 m³/year results. By drying and processing the sawdust, briquettes can be obtained which reduce the pollution of the environment from the point of view an organic fuel. Biomass occupies the largest percentage (47%) of all renewable energy sources. Biomass can serve as an essential alternative for renewable energy production as well as a large investment. The importance of using biomass in the producing of biofuels has signaled the increase of areas cultivated with oily olants (rapeseed). Animal manure is used to produce biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen production from biomass is an efficient and clean utilization way for renewable energy to significantly alleviate the energy crisis. In order to improve the biomass conversion efficiency, a device combining honeycomb structure wood and inert porous pellets was proposed, and the combustion characteristics of honeycomb wood was studied with different biomass species and pore structures. The results indicated that softwood had the higher syngas yield compared with hardwood, and the hydrogen yield was up to 9.0 %. The increasing of inlet air velocity improved combustion temperature, but it was not conducive to syngas production. In addition, circle shape structure showed the stable combustion rate and the high conversion efficiency due to the uniform pore distribution. With the increasing of pore number, outlet temperature and hydrogen production increased first and then decreased. Moreover, syngas yield improved as the pore diameter increased and the maximum hydrogen growth rate reached 256 %. Meanwhile, the co-combustion mechanism of honeycomb wood and inert pellets was revealed, and the efficient realization of heat-hydrogen coproduction had practical guiding significance for optimizing the energy structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated carbon has been an ideal material for the separation of a variety of chemical pollutants. Its extensive use is limited due to the cost of production, which has triggered the researches on the viable option for the non-conventional and cost-effective production. The application of biomass waste has been widely explored as an alternative to expensive methods of activated carbon production from coal. In this study, detailed list of production methods of activated carbon from wood biomass is presented systematically. The attempt has also been made to review the physical properties, such as ultimate and proximate analyses of wood biomass material. Further, the chemical compositions of wood, such as hemicelluloses, cellulose, and lignin are also dealt with. Finally, this review incorporates the existing research papers on wood-derived activated carbons to understand the influence of pyrolysis temperature, activation temperature, and effect of various physical and chemical activation conditions on the production, surface characteristics and adsorption behavior of activated carbons. The outcome of this study revealed that the activated carbons from wood biomass exhibit promising characteristics in terms of surface area, pore size and pore volume, surface functional groups, and surface entrapment behavior against various water soluble chemical toxicants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid waste is a vexing and widespread issue, especially in urban and rural areas, where waste wood and eggshells generate significant pollution. Wood-based biomass features high-quality carbon neutral energy source properties, and discarded eggshells can be employed to develop a calcium-based multifunctional catalyst for wood gasification, thereby converting the waste into green hydrogen. In this work, an oxygen-rich vacancy (82.1%) Ni 1.5 Ca 4.0 Mn 1.0 O x catalyst with a dual pore size nanostructure was derived from waste eggshell and demonstrated anti-coking, CO oxidation, CO 2 fixation and high performance in H 2 -rich gas production during wood air-steam gasification. The mechanism for removing carbon deposition was based on the transfer of carbon species on Ni metal surfaces by using Mn and Ca substances. The behavior of wood non-catalytic gasification and catalytic gasification were quantitatively analyzed and compared on a time scale. Effects of temperature, duration time, and steam/biomass mass ratio were studied to determine the optimal gasification conditions. Catalytic gasification achieved an increase of 32.3% and 5.42 of H 2 proportion and H 2 /CO as well as a decline of 8.51% of CO and 21.05% of CO 2 contents when compared to non-catalytic air-steam gasification. This work might provide an innovative perspective on using waste to generate green hydrogen. [Display omitted] • Wood air-steam gasification was quantitatively analyzed on a time scale. • A multifunctional catalyst with oxygen-rich vacancies was developed. • H 2 -rich gas production was achieved while reducing solid waste and carbon emissions. • Carbon deposition resistance was realized through carbon species transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal decomposition of spruce wood (Picea abies) was studied using the thermogravimetric (TG) analysis in air atmosphere from 30°C to 600°C with the heating rates of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C.min-1. The TG results show that the main decomposition region is in the temperature range of 250-360°C, where a total disintegration of hemicellulose and cellulose with partial lignin decomposition can be observed. The values of apparent activation energy for this process are between 168.6-196.5 kJ.mol-1, 179.8-188.1 kJ.mol-1 and 170.1-178.7 kJ.mol-1 determined by the Friedman, Flynn- Wall-Ozawa and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose methods, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on biochar is in current trend due to its vast applicability in various fields and has garnered everyone's attention due to its unique physicochemical properties and surface structures. The favourable properties of biochar include its high surface area and porosity and ability to adsorb various compounds, including nutrients, organic contaminants, and some gases. Physical and chemical properties of biochars are dictated by the feedstock and process parameters such as pyrolysis or gasification temperature, conversion technology and pre- and post-treatment processes, if any, which vary widely across biochars produced from different biomasses. This study focuses on wood biomasses, neem and old furniture waste wood (a mixture of different woods), one natural and the other, waste, to characterise their physical and chemical properties that can signify their relevant environmental applications. Physical properties such as surface area, morphology and surface characteristics and chemical properties like organic matter and organic carbon contents, pH, and electrical conductivity, carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen (CHN) elemental composition have been analysed in this study. In addition, raw biomass analysis is also done to understand the behaviour of the biomass in producing biochar. Also, thermogravimetric analysis has been performed using three models to study the effect of process parameters on biochars. A wide range of fixed carbon (11.8–35.73%), volatile matter (58.25–82.17%), and ash contents (1.98–4.06%) were observed among tested biochars. The H/C ratio accounts for the aromaticity of the material and with temperature, the ratio decreases. Lower H/C ratios demonstrate increased aromaticity caused by pyrolysis and therefore indicate higher stability of the material than the initial feedstock. This study will pave the way for understanding the behaviour of wood biochar as a type and its efficiency as a material in utilisation as an adsorbent, in filter media, remediating water and soil amelioration. [Display omitted] • Biochar production using two types of wood biomass at different pyrolysis temperatures. • Analysis of biochar properties using various characterization techniques to assess the efficiency of wood-biochar. • Study on the effect of parameters to assess the optimum range of parameters including optimum yield. • Application based analysis of the biochar properties to understand their utilization in lab, pilot or field scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A co-combustion system was designed for green hydrogen production. • Combination of inert porous media and wood pellets achieved a hydrogen growth rate of 142%. • Addition of inert bed significantly improved combustion temperature and syngas production. • Hybrid bed with small pellets diameter obtained higher green hydrogen production. The production of green hydrogen by utilizing wood pellets is an effective way to solve the problem of energy shortage and environmental pollution. In order to improve the hydrogen production efficiency of biomass, a co-combustion system of inert porous media and wood pellets was built, and the combustion characteristic of wood pellets was studied with different porous media structures. The results demonstrated that the increasing of air velocity was beneficial to increase the combustion temperature, and hydrogen production reached the maximum value at v = 4 cm/s. Meanwhile, the hydrogen production increased with the increasing of inert bed length due to the intensification of heat circulation. When the length ratio of the hybrid to inert bed was 6: 3, the lower heating value of syngas was 3.69 MJ/Nm3 and the molar fraction of hydrogen increased by 69 % compared to the single wood pellets combustion. Moreover, the decreasing of pellets diameter was conducive to increase syngas production. The co-combustion of inert porous media and wood pellets realized the efficient utilization of biomass, and maximum growth rate of hydrogen reached 142 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Wood biomass char was used in a direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) as an alternative fuel. This has many advantages because the DCFC is a high-efficiency system and wood biomass is a carbon-free and regenerative material. Several analytical techniques were employed to analyze the characteristics of three fuels, their effects on the cell’s performance, and the electrochemical reactions between the fuels and the electrolyte in the system. The morphological and textural characteristics of biomass char were similar to those of two types of coal used as fuels for a DCFC system in spite of the char’s significantly lower carbon content. A practical evaluation of the fuels used in the DCFC system was conducted, and when using the biomass char, the maximum power density was 60–70% that of the corresponding value for coal under the same conditions. The performance of the biomass char fuel was improved by stirring. The possibility of its practical application was also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Separation of cellulose fibers (CFs) from woody biomass with minimal structural alteration using a “green” and efficient method was achieved by treatment with the ionic liquid (IL), [emim][OAc] (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate) at 80°C for 1h. The IL was recovered by rinsing with water–acetone mixture prior to treatment of the wood with Trametes sp. laccase in the presence of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole as a mediator. IL pretreatment did not significantly change the chemical composition of the wood, but did alter its structure and rendered its surface more accessible to the enzyme. Treated and untreated samples were characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA, and chemical methods. The cellulose content of the produced fibers was approximately 73.1% and the lignin content was 9.8%, much lower than the lignin content of 29.3% of the untreated wood. The cellulose fibers exhibited higher cellulose crystallinity and better thermal stability compared to untreated wood materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Tree and wood biomass from urban areas is a potentially large, underutilized resource viewed in the broader social context of biomass production and utilization. Here, data and analysis from a regional study in a 13-county area of Michigan, U.S.A. are combined with data and analysis from several other studies to examine this potential. The results suggest that urban trees and wood waste offer a modest amount of biomass that could contribute significantly more to regional and national bio-economies than it does at present. Better utilization of biomass from urban trees and wood waste could offer new sources of locally generated wood products and bio-based fuels for power and heat generation, reduce fossil fuel consumption, reduce waste disposal costs and reduce pressure on forests. Although wood biomass generally constitutes a “carbon-neutral” fuel, burning rather than burying urban wood waste may not have a net positive effect on reducing atmospheric CO2 levels, because it may reduce a significant long term carbon storage pool. Using urban wood residues for wood products may provide the best balance of economic and environmental values for utilization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Analysis of the possibility of lumber waste disposal via combustion in a mixture with coal has been conducted. Conditions and characteristics of pellets ignition of fuel mixtures based on coal dust and grounded wood at various mass concentrations of the components have been experimentally determined. Fuel pellets were made by cold pressing on a hydraulic press. The experiments were performed in a medium of still air heated to high (from 600 °C to 800 °C) temperatures. Record of heating processes of the researched promising for thermal power engineering granules of mixed fuels, their subsequent ignition and combustion has been conducted using a high-speed video camera (image format - 1024 × 1024 pixels, frame rate - up to 100000 per second), which provides high discretization of registration results of processes characteristic times. It has been established that an increase in the proportion of wood components in the fuel granule significantly reduces values of ignition delay times of all researched mixtures based on 2B and 3B brown coal. The limit of stable ignition of such fuels has been determined. It is shown that ignition delay times of fuel pellets with characteristic sizes up to 8 mm (height) with diameter of 8 mm even at relatively low temperatures of the combustion medium do not exceed 16 s, which illustrates the promising application of such fuels even in small-scale power engineering. • Increase of wood component in the fuel granule reduces ignition delay time. • Dependences of t i (ϕ) for two different coals are almost identical. • Ignition of homogeneous occurs with a large time interval compared with wood. • t i of fuel mixtures at 800 °C are almost identical to that of homogeneous wood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the use of biorefined wood materials in the fabrication of organic redox supercapacitors is proposed. Oak‐derived hard carbon (HC) is revealed to have a nanographite domain structure, showing conductivity as high as that of artificial graphite. The CO2‐activated hard carbon (A–HC) has a conductivity one order higher than that of commercial activated carbon, with a surface area of 1126 m2 g−1. The energy densities of supercapacitors composed of a tetrachlorohydroquinone cathode and anthraquinone (AQ) or 1,5‐dichloroanthraquinone (DCAQ) anode are 19.0 and 13.8 Wh kg−1, respectively. The utilization rate of AQ with A–HC is 97.6% (250.9 mAh g−1), which is much higher than those in previous reports (≈80%). After 1000 cycles, 91.0% of the discharge capacity is retained when the DCAQ anode is used. Biorefined wood materials lead to a remarkable improvement in the operation of organic supercapacitors. This is intriguing, because the functional carbon material herein is easily prepared from a natural resource, wood, whereas numerous studies have prepared such materials from artificial chemical sources. Therefore, the use of oak‐derived HC enhances the usability of organic active materials for energy storage devices and potentially has a far‐reaching impact on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]