Torrefaction of woody biomass and in-situ pyrolytic reforming of volatile matter: Analyses of products and process heat demand

Abstract

Torrefaction of Japanese cedar (TR) and in-situ vapor-phase pyrolytic reforming of volatile matter from TR (PYR) were investigated with three main objectives; quantification of the heats required for TR and PYR (QTR and QPYR, respectively), demonstration of high conversion of bio-oil into syngas by PYR without either catalyst or oxidizing agent, and clarification of effects of water washing of the cedar prior to TR on QTR and QPYR as well as the product distribution. The cedar was subjected to TR and PYR at temperatures of TTR = 250–350 °C and TPYR = 500–800 °C, respectively. QTR was defined as the difference in enthalpy between the TR products at TTR and dry cedar at 25 °C, and determined from compound or elemental composition of char, bio-oil, water, and non-condensable gases. QTR increased with TTR in a range of 1.0–4.0% of the cedar HHV, which could be covered by burning the gas and a small portion (0.5–13.0%) of bio-oil from TR at TTR ≥ 280 °C. The water washing removed substantial portions of the inherent alkali and alkaline earth metallic species. This resulted in slight increase in QTR, 0.2–0.8%-HHV and decrease in the gas yield, in particular, those of CO and CO2. PYR converted substantial portions of the bio-oil from TR at TTR = 300 °C. The bio-oil conversion into CO/H2–rich gas was 85–90% at TPYR = 800 °C. QPYR, which was defined as the enthalpy difference between the volatile matter from TR at 300 °C and that from PYR at TPYR, increased with TPYR but as small as 1.4–5.8% of the cedar HHV. The water washing slightly decreased QPYR, and this was quantitatively explained by slightly smaller bio-oil yield from TR of the water-washed cedar at TTR = 300 °C than that of the cedar. QPYR was a function of decrease in the bio-oil yield by PYR, which was not influenced by the water washing.