Effects of biomass feedstocks and gasification conditions on the physiochemical properties of char

Char is a low-value byproduct of biomass gasification and pyrolysis with many potential applications, such as soil amendment and the synthesis of activated carbon and carbon-based catalysts. Considering these high-value applications, char could provide economic benefits to a biorefinery utilizing gasification or pyrolysis technologies. However, the properties of char depend heavily on biomass feedstock, gasifier design and operating conditions. This paper reports the effects of biomass type (switchgrass, sorghum straw and red cedar) and equivalence ratio (0.20, 0.25 and 0.28), i.e., the ratio of air supply relative to the air that is required for stoichiometric combustion of biomass, on the physiochemical properties of char derived from gasification. Results show that the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas of most of the char were 1-10 m2/g and increased as the equivalence ratio increased. Char moisture and fixed carbon contents decreased while ash content increased as equivalence ratio increased. The corresponding Fourier Transform Infrared spectra showed that the surface functional groups of char differed between biomass types but remained similar with change in equivalence ratio.Peer reviewedBiosystems and Agricultural EngineeringBiobased Products and Energy Cente

Syngas Production, Storage, Compression and Use in Gas Turbines

This chapter analyses syngas production through pyrolysis and gasification, its compression and its use in gas turbines. Syngas compression can be performed during or after thermal treatment processes. Important points are discussed related to syngas ignition, syngas explosion limit at high temperatures and high pressures and syngas combustion kinetics. Kinetic aspects influence ignition and final emissions which are obtained at the completion of the combustion process. The chapter is organized into four subsections, dealing with (1) innovative syngas production plants, (2) syngas compressors and compression process, (3) syngas ignition in both heterogeneous and homogeneous systems and (4) syngas combustion kinetics and experimental methods. Particular attention is given to ignition regions that affect the kinetics, namely systems that operate at temperatures higher than 1000 K can have strong ignition, whereas those operating at lower temperatures have weak ignition. Keywords: Pyrogas Pyrolysis Ignition Syngas Compression GasificationacceptedVersio

Biochar: pyrogenic carbon for agricultural use: a critical review.

O biocarvão (biomassa carbonizada para uso agrícola) tem sido usado como condicionador do solo em todo o mundo, e essa tecnologia é de especial interesse para o Brasil, uma vez que tanto a ?inspiração?, que veio das Terras Pretas de Índios da Amazônia, como o fato de o Brasil ser o maior produtor mundial de carvão vegetal, com a geração de importante quantidade de resíduos na forma de finos de carvão e diversas biomassas residuais, principalmente da agroindústria, como bagaço de cana, resíduos das indústrias de madeira, papel e celulose, biocombustíveis, lodo de esgoto etc. Na última década, diversos estudos com biocarvão têm sido realizados e atualmente uma vasta literatura e excelentes revisões estão disponíveis. Objetivou-se aqui não fazer uma revisão bibliográfica exaustiva, mas sim uma revisão crítica para apontar alguns destaques na pesquisa sobre biochar. Para isso, foram selecionados alguns temaschave considerados críticos e relevantes e fez-se um ?condensado? da literatura pertinente, mais para orientar as pesquisas e tendências do que um mero olhar para o passad

Italian Unity as Leitmotiv in British Literature, 1820-1865

This paper demonstrates that popular cultural interests, fueled by the forces of the marketplace, can develop and formulate a political will and expression. In nineteenth- century England, a sympathetic embrace of what the historian C. P. Brand called Italianate fashion” (3), captivated the interest of the rapidly expanding reading public. The commercial success of published works in which Italy was the leitmotiv helped convince the British public that Italy should be an independent and unified nation. This work traces the progression of printed British works of poetry, periodical reviews, travel guides and serialized novels from 1820-1865 and shows that the consistent theme of Italian national unity ultimately influenced the political affairs within England. The public interest in reading about Italy had, however, marginal influence over the Italian political struggle but significantly liberalized the political environment in Great Britain. The composition summarizes further the development of English liberalism and how this process progressed with the help of the reading public’s interest in “Italianate fashion.” The works of literature that followed also provided a cultural critique of the British political system as it reacted to the Italian struggle for independence. To narrow the scope of this critique, the common theme of Italian politics is followed through the published works of Lord Byron (1788-1824), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872), W.E. Gladstone (1809-1898), and George Elliot (born Mary Ann Evans 1819-1889)

The Vulnerability of the United States Electrical Power Grid

Perhaps no other sector of the United States critical infrastructure is as important to as the electrical power grid. Modern technology has improved the quality of American lives in countless ways, however the over reliance on the electrical power grid for this technology and everyday life has increased the risks associated with catastrophic failure. This study discusses the risks and the vulnerability of the United States electrical power grid and provides recommendations that can be implemented to secure the United States electrical power grid from both physical and cyberattack

Pyrolysis of biomass and biorefinery residual materials for production of advanced biofuels

The work carried out throughout this project has helped to further advance the area of biomass pyrolysis for the production of bio-oil. During the early stage of the project, the focus was on investigating the effect of different processing parameters and feedstock composition on the pyrolysis products. A major part of this work involved studying the effect of pressure during conventional pyrolysis. Pyrolysis was also carried out on the residue which remained after the biomass acid hydrolysis process, this is primarily lignin. This investigation has shown that thermal treatment alone is not an adequate method for converting acid hydrolysis residue to valuable products. Following on from this work biomass hydropyrolysis with catalytic conditioning of the product vapours was investigated as a possible method of producing a high grade bio-oil and to increase the level of biomass conversion. For this work various Ni supported catalyst were utilised for vapour upgrading. Furthermore a study was carried out to examine the effect of hydrogen pressure during hydropyrolysis. This work looked at pressure ranging from ambient to 30 bar. At elevated pressure major improvements of the vapour composition were achieved. The resulting vapours in the presence of the Ni catalyst at 30 bar were highly deoxygenated and also contained no carboxylic acids. This investigation has shown that hydropyrolysis at elevated pressure has many advantages over conventional pyrolysis as a large amount of oxygen is removed from the bio-oil, thus increasing the stability of the product. Furthermore a large portion of the aromatic compounds were either fully or partially hydrogenated