Forestry Biomass Research Articles

Comparative study on pyrolysis and gasification within CO2 atmosphere of typical forestry biomass in Northeast Asia: Thermal behavior and kinetic analysis

The present study provides a comprehensive comparative investigation on feedstock pyrolysis and char gasification performance of typical forestry biomass obtained from Northeast Asia. Firstly, the physicochemical properties were tested and compared in detail. Then, the pyrolysis experiments were carried out on a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), which indicated that different forestry biomass has close thermal decomposition characteristics. The initial thermal degradation temperature of different forest biomass varied in 246.18–316.34 °C, and the temperature of maximum reaction rate was between 366.14 °C and 386.70 °C. The slight discrepancy stemmed from the difference in the ash composition and chemical composition. Next, the isothermal char gasification experiment in the CO2 atmosphere was also conducted at TGA, which can be found that all char were completely gasified within 25 min when the temperature exceeded 950 °C. The gasification results showed that the reactivity of Salicaceae char is better than that of Pinaceae char because of high AAEMs content and alkali index. After that, the reaction apparent activation energy (Ea) was calculated by the isoconversional method, the average Ea value for different forestry biomass was between 154.18 and 187.66 kJ/mol. In addition, the Ea at different conversion rates and the average value of Salicaceae char is lower than that of Pinaceae char. Through comparison, it is found that the pyrolysis and char gasification performance of Salicaceae is better than that of Pinaceae since its relatively high AAEMs content and different chemical composition.

Characterization of bark, needles and cones from silver fir (Abies alba mill.) towards valorization of biomass forestry residues

Valorization of renewable biomass forestry gains more and more interest due to the exhaustible nature of fossil based resources and their negative environment impact. Therefore, this study involves thoroughly characterization of bark, needles and cones from silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) of two different ages (40 and 100 years) to determine their potential use as source of valuable compounds. Proximate/ultimate and compositional analysis as well as thermal behavior showed that the studied materials are promising candidates for biomass valorization by torrefaction and pyrolysis. In addition, it was revealed that fir samples contain significant amounts of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The extractive fractions were found to be rich in highly valuable compounds such as terpenes, paraffins, phenols, acids and derivatives of abietic acid. This induced good antioxidant activity of the extractive fractions, with fast scavenging of DPPH radicals. The PCA and hierarchical clustering used for exploratory data analysis offered the possibility to combine multiple information obtained from detailed characterization of samples into a global view of the system. This allowed us to observe and distinguish similarities and differences among samples according to source and age. Needles stand out from bark and cones due to the high content of terpenes in extractives. Paraffins were the main components in the extractives from cones. Saccharides were found, in small amounts, only in the extractives of bark. Differences by age were also observed. The resulted outcomes provide a promising starting point in selecting suitable sources and procedures for valorization of renewable biomass forestry into energy and value added materials.

Metal vs. Metal-Free Catalysts for Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural and Levoglucosenone to Biosourced Chemicals.

Lignocellulosic feedstocks, such as forestry biomass and agricultural crop residues, can be utilized to generate biofuels and biochemicals. Converting these organic waste materials into biochemicals is widely regarded as a remedial approach to develop a sustainable, clean, and green energy source. Nevertheless, are these methods sustainable and clean? Prior studies have shown that most such conversions use metals - including heavy metals or noble metals - as catalysts. In addition to the fact that many metals (e. g., aluminum, cobalt, titanium, platinum) have been listed as critical minerals, these methods suffer from high cost, deactivation, and leakage problems and the release of toxic wastes. This Review summarizes catalytic methods using metal and metal-free catalysts for the oxidation of the platform molecules 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and levoglucosenone and demonstrates the potential and effectiveness of metal-free catalysts.

Polydopamine functionalized superhydrophilic coconut shells biomass carbon for selective cationic dye methylene blue adsorption

Environmentally benign, high adsorption efficiency and high selectivity adsorbents are satisfied real demand in wastewater treatment. Coconut shell (CS), the agricultural and forestry biomass was applied to further modified with NaOH chemical activation, pyrolysis, and then surface modification with polydopamine (PDA). NaOH activation and heated in 600 °C rendered to carbon materials with high specific surface area in carbon skeleton. Dopamine was self-polymerization on the biomass carbon materials to form superhydrophilic and surface-adhering PDA coating which made the composites well dispersed in soluble dyes solutions and simultaneously introduced thiol- and/or aminoterminated molecules. Different initial concentrations, pH and temperatures were discussed in detail herein. Increasing nitrogen-containing or oxygen-containing groups can enhance the adsorption efficiencies for dyes in low MB concentrations. The uptake of MB maintains 100% adsorption efficiency when pH is 12. The charge selective adsorption of CS-NaOH@PDA adsorbent was applied to adsorb other cationic dyes in aqueous solution. The as-prepared CS-NaOH@PDA composites from waste biomasses showed superior adsorption capability for cationic dyes and excellent removal rate and importantly were environmentally friendly, revealing its promising potentials in low-cost adsorbents for authentic wastewater treatment applications.

A Mathematical Analysis for the Preservation of Forestry Biomass Using the Laplace Decomposition Method

In this work, a numerical analysis of a mathematical model for the preservation of forestry biomass is investigated. The model is divided into three compartments as density of forest biomass, density of wood based industries and density of synthetic industries. The Laplace Decomposition Method is used to obtain approximate solutions in the form of infinite series. Numerical justification is performed on the model parameter values with the aid of Maple 18 software to obtain the results. The behavior of the results obtained, is presented graphically. From the results, it was observed that the population of forest biomass increases exponentially as we increase the competitive effect of forest biomass <i>c₁</i>, on wood industries. It was also observed that the wood based industries will have no depleting effect on the forest biomass even when the competitive effect parameter of wood based industries <i>c₂</i>, on forest biomass was increased, and this was likened to increase awareness on synthetics as alternatives to wood, government control policies on deforestation, and an increase in prices of timber. It was also obvious from the result that as sufficient synthetic materials are supplied to the synthetic industries, the industries explode exponentially with time, and would serve as a good alternative to wood inpreserving the forestry biomass.

Comparative Study on Pyrolysis and Co2 Gasification Performance of Typical Forestry Biomass in Northeast Asia: Thermal Behavior and Kinetic Analysis

Comparative Study on Pyrolysis and Co2 Gasification Performance of Typical Forestry Biomass in Northeast Asia: Thermal Behavior and Kinetic Analysis

Characterization of Bark, Needles and Cones from Silver Fir (Abies Alba Mill.) Towards Valorization of Biomass Forestry Residues

Characterization of Bark, Needles and Cones from Silver Fir (Abies Alba Mill.) Towards Valorization of Biomass Forestry Residues

Composition of gas produced from the direct combustion and pyrolysis of biomass

Biomass is considered to be one of the most easily available and high-potential renewable power sources. Pyrolysis and combustion are the most common ways of utilizing biomass. A complex multiple-criteria analysis to identify the most promising technology of using various types of biomass has never been previously performed. The study is focused on comparing two typical techniques of utilizing agricultural and forestry biomass for bioenergy and valorization. In this paper, the direct combustion and pyrolysis of biomass were experimentally studied. The environmental and energy performance parameter of the investigated processes were determined for separate biomass components (leaves, straw, sawdust) and a group of mixtures from them. It was established that the biomass mixtures combustion has better environmental characteristics. Thus, the main anthropogenic emissions decreased by 8–66%. In addition to that, the pyrolysis of a biomass mixture from a group of components has a 30% higher yield of combustible gases. The analysis of relative efficiency indicators of two processes where biomass was used as an energy resource showed that a biomass-derived composite fuel is more efficient than its individual components.

Thermal and Kinetic Studies on Biomass Degradation via Thermogravimetric Analysis: A Combination of Model-Fitting and Model-Free Approach.

Thermal degradation behavior and kinetics of two agricultural (soy and oat hulls) and two forestry biomass (willow and spruce) residues were investigated using a unique combination of model-fitting and model-free methods. Experiments were carried out in an inert atmosphere at different heating rates. Both single step and multistep models were explored in deriving activation energies, frequency factors, and mechanisms of all four biomass residues. For the single step models, activation energy values ranged from 107.2 kJ/mol for willow and 139.7 kJ/mol for soy hull, and the frequency factors for both materials were 1.1 × 109 and 2.66 × 1012 s–1, respectively. The multistep models gave further insight into the different mechanisms across the full degradation spectrum. There was an observed difference between the number of distinct steps/mechanisms for the agriculture-based versus wood-based biomass materials, with pyrolysis occurring in three distinct steps for the agricultural biomass residues while the woody residues degraded in two steps. The difference in the number of distinct steps can be attributed to the composition and distribution of components of the biomass, which would differ based on the nature and source of the biomass.

Diesel fuel substitution using forestry biomass producer gas: Effects of dual fuel combustion on performance and emissions of a micro-CHP system

Despite the massive electrification of the energy sector, combustion-based technologies will continue to play a key role for decades to come. Therefore, to meet the ambitious target of decarbonization of the energy sector, adapting current technologies to alternative energy sources, like biofuels, is a must. The proposed work aims at investigating the role of biomass producer gas in compression ignition (CI) engines, as a substitute of diesel fuel. A micro combined heat and power generation system (CHP) consisting of an open-top downdraft gasifier, a single-cylinder water-cooled CI engine and a waste heat recovery circuit have been set-up with the aim to investigate emissions and performance at several Diesel Substitution Rates (DSR), up to 50 %. Maximum substitution levels – which occur due to knocking limitations and combustion instabilities - have been also identified. The main results show: i) a decrease of thermal and electrical efficiencies in the range of 10–30 %; ii) strong NOx and smoke opacity reductions (with peaks close to 80 %); iii) an increase of CO emissions (above 50 %); iv) the assessment of a decreasing maximum DSR as the power load increase (98 % at the lowest load, up to 46 % at full load). Such findings offer quantitative results through which multi-objective optimization procedures could be implemented. Moreover, experimental results indicate the need for a diesel injection timing optimization strategy to mitigate CO emissions.

Extraction of Added-Value Triterpenoids from Acacia dealbata Leaves Using Supercritical Fluid Extraction

Forestry biomass is a by-product which commonly ends up being burnt for energy generation, despite comprising valuable bioactive compounds with valorisation potential. Leaves of Acacia dealbata were extracted for the first time by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using different conditions of pressure, temperature and cosolvents. Total extraction yield, individual triterpenoids extraction yields and concentrations were assessed and contrasted with Soxhlet extractions using solvents of distinct polarity. The extracts were characterized by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and target triterpenoids were quantified. The total extraction yields ranged from 1.76 to 11.58 wt.% and the major compounds identified were fatty acids, polyols, and, from the triterpenoids family, lupenone, α-amyrin and β-amyrin. SFE was selective to lupenone, with higher individual yields (2139–3512 mg kgleaves−1) and concentrations (10.1–12.4 wt.%) in comparison to Soxhlet extractions, which in turn obtained higher yields and concentrations of the remaining triterpenoids.

Environmental and socioeconomic footprints of the German bioeconomy

Hoping to support sustainability, countries have established policies to foster the bioeconomy (BE), based on the use of biomass and knowledge on biological principles. However, appropriate monitoring is still lacking. We estimate global key environmental footprints (FPs) of the German BE in a historic analysis from 2000–2015 and in projection until 2030. Overall, the agricultural biomass FP is dominated by animal-based food consumption, which is slightly decreasing. The forestry biomass FP of consumption could potentially shift from net import to total supply from domestic territory. Agricultural land use for consumption is triple that of domestic agricultural land (which covers half of Germany) and induced substantial land use change in other regions from 2000–2015. The FP of irrigation water withdrawals has decreased over 2000–2015 and might continue to decline in absolute terms by 2030, but the share of supply regions with water stress might increase. The climate FP of BE contributes 18–20% to the total climate FP of domestic consumption, while employment makes up 10% and value added only 8% of the total German economy. These findings imply that sufficient monitoring of the BE needs to consider both production and consumption perspectives, as well as global FPs of national economies. An analysis of the German bioeconomy between 2000 and 2015 finds that its environmental footprints are dominated by animal-based food consumption, and agricultural land use for consumption abroad is double the domestic one.

Essential Oils from Residual Foliage of Forest Tree and Shrub Species: Yield and Antioxidant Capacity.

Increasing applications and markets for essential oils could bring new opportunities for cost-effective and sustainable management of unused forestry biomass; however, better knowledge of the production and application of such essential oils is necessary. The objective of this work is to contribute to greater knowledge of the essential oil production on a pilot scale from foliage biomass of wild shrubs and tree residues produced in some forestry enhancement operations and to study their antioxidant capacity (ORAC—oxygen radical absorbance capacity). Fresh biomass (twigs) of seven species (E. globulus, E. nitens, P. pinaster, P. sylvestris, R. officinalis, C. ladanifer, and J. communis) was manually collected in Spain in two different periods and was ground at 30 mm and distilled in a 30 L stainless steel still with saturated steam. The essential oil components were identified by GC–MS and quantified by GC–FID, and their antioxidant activity was determined with the ORAC method. Promising results on essential oil yield were obtained with E. globulus, E. nitens, R. officinalis, and J. communis. All essential oils studied exhibited antioxidant capacity by the ORAC assay, particularly that from C. ladanifer. Moreover, oxygenated sesquiterpenes contents, one of the minor components of oils, were significantly correlated with ORAC values.

Conversion of Babool wood residue to 5-Hydroxymethyl Furfural: Kinetics and Process modelling

This study proposes an integrated approach for the formation of total reducing sugars (TRS) and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) from forestry biomass. Detailed kinetics was studied using an irreversible series model and the developed kinetic model is congruent with the experimental data. The obtained rate constants were also applied to gain insight for designing continuous reactor configurations. Maximum TRS (32.28%) and 5-HMF yield (42.32%) was obtained in 67.13 min and 311.62 min at 120 °C using single-stage CSTR whereas complete conversion of TRS was observed in 17.03 min with significant 5-HMF yield (23.68%) in 39.07 min at 120 °C using two equal-sized CSTR in series. Also, maximum TRS yield (30.61%) and 5-HMF yield (58.41%) was observed in 67.13 min and 193.38 min respectively using single-stage PFR. The proposed model for Babool wood hydrolysis will be valuable to facilitate the cost-effective and sustainable conversion of waste biomass to bio-based fuels.

Carbon aerogel from forestry biomass as a peroxymonosulfate activator for organic contaminants degradation

The carbon catalyst has been widely used as a peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator to degrade organic contaminants. The biomass carbon aerogel (CA) derived from poplar powder was synthesized in this study. CA with three-dimensional structure exhibited an excellent degradation performance of PMS activation for different types of organic contaminants including bisphenol A (BPA), rhodamine 6 G, phenol, and p-chlorophenol with the removal efficiencies up to 91%, 100%, 100%, and 60% within 60 min, respectively. It was found that singlet oxygen (1O2) dominated the non-radical pathway worked for BPA removal in CA/PMS system. The possible mechanism for PMS activation was discussed. A portion of 1O2 was produced through the transformation of superoxide radical (O2•-) in CA/PMS system. Electronic impedance spectroscopy (EIS) proved that the hierarchical structure of CA contributed to the electron transfer process for PMS activation. The ketonic/carbonyl groups (C˭O) on the surface of CA could serve as a possible active site to facilitate the generation of 1O2. In addition, CA showed superior degradation performance in actual water bodies and reusability with high-temperature regeneration treatment. This study developed an efficient and environmentally benign catalyst for water remediation of organic pollutants.

Impact of forest harvest intensity and transportation distance on biomass delivered costs within sustainable forest management - A case study in southeastern Canada

This study compares the delivered cost of forest biomass and its associated GHG emissions for three sizes of biorefinery including 50,000 m3 (small scale), 250,000 m3 (medium scale), and 700,000 m3 (large scale). The proposed methodology in this study includes harvest intensity which is often overlooked. The Pontiac region located in the Province of Quebec (Southeastern Canada) is used as a case study due to the availability of data in this forestry biomass rich region. Furthermore, there are significant similarities with other forestry regions to enable generalisation of the proposed case study. Harvest intensities of 423 harvest zones (cutblocks) are considered in cost and GHG emissions analysis of delivered biomass from each cutblock to the biorefinery. The results show that harvest intensities of cutblocks must be prioritized over conventional parameters such as transportation distance. The selection and prioritisation of cutblocks according to transportation distance without considering harvest intensities would result in an increase of about 12.5% in delivered costs of biomass for small and medium scale biorefineries. Results also reveal that the transportation distance would be a more significant parameter when using the same harvest intensity for all the selected cutblocks. Required logistics and harvesting equipment for three biorefinery sizes were also quantified. Sensitivity analysis shows that reduced productivity of harvest equipment by 20% could increase the delivered costs of biomass and GHG emissions by 10% for medium and large scale biorefineries and by 13% for a small scale biorefinery.

Modeling the effect of population pressure on the dynamics of carbon dioxide gas

To understand the effect of population pressure (demand of population for forestry trees and land) on the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide gas, a nonlinear model is formulated and analyzed. In formulating the model, four dynamical variables namely; concentration of carbon dioxide, human population, population pressure and forest biomass are considered. In the modeling process, it is assumed that the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide gas increases naturally as well as through anthropogenic emission. Further, it depletes naturally and due to its uptake by the forestry biomass. Moreover, it is assumed that both the human population and forestry biomass follow logistic growth and the population pressure reduces only the carrying capacity of forestry biomass, which decreases the absorption rate of $$\hbox {CO}_2$$ by forests. Feasibility and stability of equilibria are discussed. Analytical findings demonstrate that as deforestation rate due to human population crosses a critical value, the system destabilizes and oscillations arise through Hopf-bifurcation. Also, it is found that transcritical bifurcation takes place between two equilibria. Our analysis reveals that as the reduction rate coefficient due to population pressure increases, the forestry biomass decreases and the concentration of carbon dioxide increases. Numerical simulation is performed, which supports analytical findings. It is also noted that the dynamics of $$\hbox {CO}_2$$ is much affected by anthropogenic emissions but the impact of deforestation due to population pressure can not be ignored.

Economic Feasibility of Electrical Power Cogeneration from Forestry Biomass in an Engineered Wood Panel Industrial Facility

The use of sugarcane bagasse, straw, and chaff for electrical power generation in sugar-ethanol mills has been established; more recently, the recovery of forest biomass has been increasing in an attempt to reduce the use of fossil fuels and to increase electrical power generation focused on self-consumption. The potential for power generation in this segment is considerable, but the use of biomass in cogeneration processes depends on an attractive return on investments. This study was designed to analyze the economic feasibility of investment in thermal and electrical power generation equipment that makes it possible to use forest and logging residues and wood chips to replace the current gas-fired power generation in an engineered wood panel industry facility (Scenario 1) or investment only in thermal generation equipment (Scenario 2). Results showed that the investment to replace natural gas with forest biomass is economically viable not only for the generation of both types of energy but also for the generation of thermal energy itself. High costs of energy inputs such as natural gas and electricity for the industry explain the results, despite the requirement for high investments in cogeneration systems.

Forestry biomass and its role in controlling bronchitis in urban areas: a nonlinear modelling study

The present study explores the role of forestry biomass in controlling the disease of bronchitis in human population, which is being caused through air pollutants, induced by urbanization. For this purpose, a nonlinear mathematical model is formulated by taking into consideration the interactive dynamics among forestry biomass, human population and pollution. To get insight into disease dynamics of bronchitis, the human population is supposed to be divided into two classes—susceptible and infected, where susceptible becomes infected when comes in contact with pollutants. The developed model is qualitatively analyzed for existences and stabilities of its different equilibrium states by applying stability theory of differential equations. Qualitative results are substantiated with numerical simulation, which also helps in estimating critical limits of parameters, required for the control of bronchitis. The overall analyses provide conditions for stabilization of the proposed model system, that is, how to control infection of bronchitis in human population by minimizing pollutant concentration through forestry biomass.

Atmospheric emission inventory of hazardous air pollutants from biomass direct-fired power plants in China: Historical trends, spatial variation characteristics, and future perspectives

The agricultural and forestry biomass direct-fired power generation represents an important technology to promote the low-carbon energy transition and agricultural waste reuse in China. In recent years, emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) caused by the rapid biomass industrialization have attracted increasing attention. To investigate the characteristics of HAPs emitted from biomass power plants in China, a multiple-year comprehensive emission inventory including NOx, SO2, PM, PM10, PM2.5, and trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn) has been established for the period of 2006–2017. As a result of the emission standard (GB13223-2011), emissions of conventional HAPs have declined since 2014. The results show that national total emissions in 2017 were estimated at 29,516.0 t of NOx, 14,192.1 t of SO2, 4100.7 t of PM, 2353.9 t of PM10, 1630.6 t of PM2.5, 3057.2 kg of As, 1622.8 kg of Cd, 8285.8 kg of Cr, 54,443.4 kg of Cu, 132.9 kg of Hg, 66,325.8 kg of Pb, and 175,587.9 kg of Zn, respectively. The majority of HAPs emissions have been concentrated in eastern, northeastern, and central areas of mainland China. Shandong, Heilongjiang, and Anhui represent the top three provinces with the highest HAPs emissions from 2012 to 2017. Besides, the future emissions in 2025 and 2035 under the ultra-low emission policy are predicted with scenario analysis.