Modelling of ozone multiphase flow behaviour in an ozonolysis pretreatment reactor

Abstract

Ozonolysis pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass (LB) is envisaged as a green and effective method to selectively remove lignin for subsequent bio-based processing. Herein, this study investigates the ozone multiphase flow behaviour of an ozonolysis pretreatment reactor for lignin degradation of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB). A coupled transport-reaction model is simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) via COMSOL Multiphysics® software to visualize the ozone multiphase flow behaviour in non-porous and porous bed regions. Numerical findings indicate the pressure drop across porous bed linearly increases with superficial ozone velocity. Simulation results also reveal that the relative pressure across the biomass bed reduces by reducing the biomass bed length. The present work provides preliminary insights for ozonolysis reactor design and optimum operations of biomass pretreatment for up-scaling and commercialization purposes.