Furfural Residue Research Articles

Regulation plateau capacity and initial coulombic efficiency of furfural residues-derived hard carbon via components engineering

The scale-up application of biomass-based hard carbon (HC) in sodium-ion battery (SIB) is hampered by low initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) and specific capacity, especially for the plateau capacity. By taking advantage of furfural residues (FRs), which are mainly constructed with lignin and cellulose, a component modulation engineering strategy is adopted to prepare high performance HC. In this work, the microstructure of FR-derived HCs can be well-regulated after component modulation. Specifically, the introduction of oxygen functional groups during low-temperature oxidation process promotes the recombination of cellulose and lignin in FRs and produces more C=O in oxidized FRs, which is favorable to suppress the carbon structure from melting and rearranging during the high-temperature carbonization process, leading to a well-balanced pseudo-graphitized/disordered microstructure and excellent corresponding electrochemical performance. Experiment results reveal that the sample underwent component engineering delivers a high capacity of 302.5 mAh g−1 and excellent ICE of 90.9 %, which are higher than that of the sample direct carbonized (225.0 mAh g−1 and 75.6 %). Notably, the plateau capacity increases from 147.0 mAh g−1 to 204.2 mAh g−1, accounting for nearly 100 % of the reversible capacity increase. Our work provides a new insight of microstructure regulation of biowaste-based HC with high electrochemical performance.

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanosheets derived from furfural residue as an oxygen reduction catalyst

The complex pore structure of porous carbon plays a pivotal role in determining the catalytic activity of catalysts involved in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and template methods have emerged as the gold standard in the fabrication of porous carbon. This study describes the preparation of a series of carbon materials that use furfural residue and urea as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, in conjunction with KOH as an activating agent through a template method. The prepared catalysts have a large specific surface area and an abundance of micro/mesoporous structures, both of which facilitate ion transport and promote active site exposure. Notably, the sample with a carbon-to-nitrogen mass ratio of 1:4 (FR/C-4) exhibits an exceptionally high specific surface area (2190 m2 g−1) along with an impressive array of pore structures. Compared with commercial Pt/C, FR/C-4 demonstrates superior ORR catalytic activity with a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.88 V. Furthermore, FR/C-4 demonstrates remarkable stability and methanol tolerance in alkaline electrolytes, indicating its potential for a wide range of applications, such as fuel cells and metalair batteries.

Corrosion behavior of co-gasification slag of furfural residue and coal on alumina-silica refractories

Gasification of furfural residue with coal can realize its efficient and clean utilization. But the high alkali metal content in furfural slag is easy to cause the corrosion of gasifier refractory. Two gasification coals with different silica alumina ratio and a furfural residue were selected in the study. The effects of furfural residue additions on corrosion of silica brick, corundum brick, high alumina brick and mullite brick were investigated by using XRD, SEM-EDS and Factsage Software, and the corrosion mechanism was analyzed. With increasing furfural residue addition, the permeability of the slags to high-aluminium-bearing refractories first decreases and then increases, while the permeability on silica brick shows a slight decrease trend. Leucite (KAlSi2O6) with high-melting temperature is generated from the reaction of K2O and SiO2 in slag with Al2O3 in refractories after furfural residue is added, which hinders the infiltration of slag in refractories. Kaliophilite (KAlSiO4) of low-melting point is formed when K2O content increases, and this contributes to the infiltration of slag in refractories. The acid-base reaction between slag and silica brick is distinctly occurred, more slag reacts with SiO2 in the silicon brick, resulting in a decrease in the amount of slag infiltrating into the silicon brick as furfural residue is added. The corrosion of silica brick is mainly caused by the acid-base reaction, while the corrosion of three alumina based refractory bricks of corundum, mullite and high alumina brick is determined by slag infiltration. A linear correlation between the percolation rate and slag viscosity is established, the slag permeability increases with decreasing viscosity, resulting in stronger permeability for the high Si/Al ratio slag with lower viscosity.

Synergistic effects and comprehensive analysis of interaction during infrared co-pyrolysis of furfural residues and PVC

Infrared co-pyrolysis was employed to convert waste into valuable resource due to the increasing production of plastic waste. In this study, support vector machine (SVM) accurately predicted PVC and furfural residues thermal behavior. The results showed high accuracy (R2 > 0.95) after the SVM model was trained and validated. Furthermore, this research performed an in-depth characterized of the co-pyrolysis process using various analytical techniques, indicting TG-FTIR-GC/MS, XPS, simulated distillation, and GC/MS. As the temperatures and heating rates increased, the pyrolysis oil yield increased at first and then declined, reaching a maximum of 37.7 % at 600 °C and 10 °C/s. Notably, aromatic content was relatively high, comparing with other components, whereas the chlorinated content remained relatively low, all below 6.5 %, indicating the pyrolysis oil quality had effectively improved. According to the results of XPS, there was a significant 64.11 % increase in inorganic chlorination, which suggested the effective reduction in gaseous chlorine emission and achieving chlorine immobilization.

Mechanism insights into the upgrading of xylose to furfural over the carbon-based catalysts in aqueous media

Exploring low-cost and high-efficient solid acid catalysts and elucidating complete reaction mechanisms are critically important for the sustainable transformation of biomass-derived molecules to bio-fuels and high-value chemicals. Here, we design a renewable strategy to construct carbon-supported solid acid catalysts (M@FRC, M=Sn, Al, Fe, Zn, and Mg) by using biomass waste resources (furfural residue, FR) as the carbon source and tested for dehydration of xylose to furfural (FAL) in the aqueous medium. Kinetic studies revealed the relationship between the main reaction (target product FAL) and the side reaction (other by-products) in the dehydration of xylose under different catalysts. Deuterium-labeling reactions and density functional theory calculations elucidate that the aldehyde carbon of FAL was derived from the C1 of xylose. Furthermore, the C1 of xylose could be broken to form formic acid. While the C1 atom from xylose was converted into formic acid, other carbon atoms could be transformed to tetra-, tri-, di- and mono-carbon compounds. This study offers a prospect for the sustainable catalytic upgrading of biomass by the development of renewable catalytic materials from waste lignocellulosic biomass and an in-depth understanding of the xylose conversion mechanism to develop tailored processes.

Adaptive evolution of Paecilomyces variotii enhanced the biodetoxification of high-titer inhibitors in pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock

High inhibitor concentrations in lignocellulose feedstock negatively affect the degradation rate of biodetoxification strains. This study designed two adaptive laboratory evolutions in solid substrate and liquid medium to boost the biodetoxification capacity of P. variotii to high titers of lignocellulose-derived inhibitors, resulting in two evolved strains AC70 and ZW70. The results showed that the evolutionary adaptation in liquid medium could better boost the acetic acid assimilation compared to that on solid substrate. Transcriptional analysis revealed that the evolved strains exhibited a significant upregulation of adh, acs, ach1, and ackA directly related to the initial steps of acetate and furan aldehydes metabolisms. ZW70 strain can effectively remove the high concentration inhibitors cocktail from the hydrolysates derived from pretreated wheat straw and furfural residues. The biodetoxified hydrolysates by ZW70 were successfully used for cellulose chiral L-lactic acid production with the titers of ∼110 g/L, which were over 20 % higher than that detoxified by parental strain.

Optimization of product distribution during co-pyrolysis of furfural residues and waste tyres via response surface method and infrared heating

Co-pyrolysis technique has proved to be an available way to recycle the energy of biomass waste and improve bio-oil quality. In this work, the co-pyrolysis behaviors and product distribution of waste tyres (WT) and furfural residues (FR) were studied by TG-FTIR/GC–MS and infrared heating fixed reactor. TG-FTIR/GC–MS results show that a large amount of CH4 and aromatics were produced at the co-pyrolysis temperature of 410°C. The response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to optimize the yields of co-pyrolysis products, including oil, aromatic hydrocarbon (AH) in oil, and CH4 in gas. It was found that the highest oil production of 39.24 wt% was obtained at 550 °C and 10 °C/s, with the highest AH content of 35.02 % and the highest CH4 yield of 17.65 wt% at 700 °C and 40 °C/s. Co-pyrolysis oil and char characteristics were analyzed by SIMDIS, GC–MS, XPS, and the ultimate analysis. It was found that there was a high D-limonene content in oil (up to 25.79 %). With increasing co-pyrolysis temperature, AH content gradually increased and that of acid in oil declined. As the temperature elevated from 400 to 700 °C at 10 °C/s, the content of AH rose from 6.48 to 31.56 % and that of acid decreased from 19.74 to 11.73 %. In addition, the transformation of organic sulfur into metal sulfides was facilitated by raising the temperature.

Efficient adsorption of Congo red (CR) dye onto novel lignin-based magnetic core-shell adsorbent: Synthesis, characterization and experimental studies

BackgroundFurfural residue is a by-product in the furfural production from the biomass, and enriched in cellulose and lignin. Lignin is considered efficient candidates for the preparation of bio-based adsorbents because of a variety of functional groups and reactive sites involved. MethodsIn this study, we prepared the tunable covalent binding of the aldehyde-based furfural residue lignin onto amine-functionalized Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles using cyanuric chloride as a chemoselective cross-linker. The novel lignin-based magnetic adsorbent in core-shell structure was reported for the first time to remove Congo red from aqueous solution. Significant FindingsA distinct core-shell structure is formed, according to the SEM, TEM, FTIR, BET, XPS, and VSM techniques. Adsorption studies suggested that endothermic processes occured for CR adsorption onto AFRL@AMNP, and both pseudo-first and pseudo-second order models could provide a good description of the adsorption kinetics. The Langmuir model estimated the qmax of CR by AFRL@AMNP were 218.2 mg/g at 290 K. According to FTIR, XPS, and DFT calculations, electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonds, and π-π interactions were identified as main mechanisms for CR onto AFRL@AMNP. More importantly, due to the incorporation of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle, AFRL@AMNP can be easier to separate from the aqueous solutions and be reused.

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis of industrial biomass waste: Insights into kinetic, characteristics and intrinsic mechanisms

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis is the preferred technology for enhancing the production of fuels and valuable chemicals. Therefore, pyrolysis experiments of furfural residue (FR) were performed using microwave equipment without microwave-absorbing additives. Further, to explore the interactions and intrinsic mechanisms of biomass components, thermogravimetric (TG), kinetic calculation, Py-GC/MS and TG-MS were also employed. Results showed that the temperatures and catalysts both affect the yields and compositions of products. Moreover, kinetic calculations showed a high-level consistency between FR pyrolysis and P3 mechanism. The product analysis also helps in the resolution of pyrolysis mechanism. For example, crystal substances in biochar were mainly SiO2, K2SO4, KAlSi3O8, and K2SO4 enhanced the reaction degree of biomass. While for bio-oil, the yield reached maximum (∼25 wt%) at ∼550 °C. The pH of bio-oil was acidic (2–4.3), and the main product in bio-oil was phenols, which was found the highest (84.63 %) at 700 °C. Interestingly, the interaction of cellulose and lignin promoted light hydrocarbon production. This research unveils innovative perspectives on the intrinsic mechanisms underlying microwave-assisted pyrolysis of biomass, which provides guidance for optimization of the microwave-assisted pyrolysis technology.

Investigation of products characteristics from microwave catalytic pyrolysis of furfural residue based on the effects of Fe/Mn modified biochar

In this paper, the effect of MnCl2 and FeCl3 modified biochar catalysts on the catalytic pyrolysis products of furfural residue (FR) under microwave field was investigated. The results showed that the highest content in the pyrolysis gas obtained from microwave catalytic pyrolysis (MCP) with modified biochar catalysts was CO, while phenols were found in bio-oil. After metal loading, the specific surface area of the catalyst decreased significantly. The CO production was promoted by microwave pyrolysis of FR over modified biochar catalyst, and MFRC gain was more obvious. The content of H2 all continued to increase with increasing mass of loaded metals, and the opposite was true for CO. The highest relative content of phenols in the bio-oils of FFRC and MFRC were 66.76 % for 2FFRC and 63.66 % for 4MFRC, where the relative content of phenols was 15.50 % and 19.27 %, respectively. The production of sugars and ketones was also promoted by Fe and Mn. The lower loading of active metals significantly promoted the conversion of pyrolysis vapors to phenols while releasing more CO. A possible mechanism of MCP of FR was proposed. The results showed that Fe/Mn-modified char-based catalysts could effectively modulate the composition of bio-oil.

Energy and exergy analyses, and elemental distribution of microwave-assisted auger pyrolysis of textile dyeing sludge and furfural residue

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis has emerged as a promising treatment method for textile dyeing sludge (DS) and furfural residue (FR), demonstrating the potential to address environmental issues and harness their energy. In this study, microwave-assisted auger pyrolysis of DS and FR was conducted, and the mass balance, elements distribution, energy, exergy and sustainability analysis were investigated. The results indicated that the distribution ratios of carbon (46.14–76.29%), hydrogen (15.04–47.96%), and oxygen (3.62–36.55%) in chars decreased with increasing temperature. As the pyrolysis temperature increased during FR pyrolysis, there was a higher thermal energy loss and a decrease in energy efficiency, energy yield, and exergy efficiency. The pyrolysis temperature and the type of solid wastes are key factors in determining both energy efficiency and exergy efficiency. The energy/exergy utilization efficiencies for FR pyrolysis (57.03–82.24%/55.90–81.82%) surpassed those for DS pyrolysis (26.46–38.93%/23.35–36.65%). The highest energy and exergy efficiencies for DS (i.e. 38.93% and 36.65%) and FR (i.e. 82.24% and 81.82%) were achieved at 450 °C. FR pyrolysis had a lower environmental impact than DS pyrolysis. This study aimed to provide insights into the treatment and disposal of sludge and FR through microwave pyrolysis, considering both energy and exergy aspects.

Preparation and characterization of furfural residue derived char-based catalysts for biomass tar cracking

This study proposed an innovative strategy of catalytic cracking of tar during biomass pyrolysis/gasification using furfural residue derived biochar-based catalysts. Fe, Co, and Ni modified furfural residue char (FRC-Fe, FRC-Co, and FRC-Ni) were prepared by one-step impregnation method. The influences of cracking temperature and metal species on the tar cracking characteristics were investigated. The results showed that the tar conversion efficiency for all catalysts were improved with the cracking temperature increasing, the higher tar conversion efficiency achieved at 800 °C were 66.72 %, 89.58 %, 84.58 %, and 94.70 % for FRC, FRC-Fe, FRC-Co, and FRC-Ni respectively. FRC-Ni achieved the higher gas (H2, CO, CH4, CO2) yield 681.81 mL/g. At 800 °C, the catalyst (FRC-Ni) still reached a high tar conversion efficiency over 85.90 % after 5 cycles. SEM-EDS results showed that the distribution of Ni particles on the biochar support was uniform. TGA results demonstrated that FRC-Ni exhibited better thermal stability. XRD results indicated that there was no significant change in the grain size of Ni before and after the reaction. The FRC-Ni catalyst was reasonably stable due to its better anti-sintering and coke-resistant capabilities.

Microwave co-pyrolysis of industrial sludge and waste biomass: Product valorization and synergistic mechanisms

Microwave co-pyrolysis of textile dyeing sludge (TS) and furfural residue (FR) was investigated in this study. Comprehensive pyrolysis index (CPI) was employed to investigate pyrolysis performance and FR addition significantly improved co-pyrolysis. Product distribution showed that increasing FR ratio enhanced the bio-oil and gas with significant reduction in biochar. For bio-oil, FR addition neutralized the strong alkalinity and inhibited the formation of nitrogen compounds. Moreover, bio-oil maintained a very low oxygenates content (0.97–5.97%). For biochar, co-pyrolysis was favorable for the enrichment of C and H and mitigated the potential contamination. FR addition increased the calorific value and contributed to pore development of biochar. Online inspection displayed that co-pyrolysis drastically restrained the release of sulfur-compounds and nitrogenates in volatile, while enhanced the production of alkanes, aldehydes, and ketones. Moreover, the interaction between TS and FR was influenced by their major components. For heavy metals (HMs), Er was at low risk for most HMs and FR addition ratios of 40 and 80 wt% appeared to be more favorable. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that FR addition changed the decomposition behavior and affected co-pyrolysis process. This study also evaluated the co-pyrolysis synergistic mechanisms of TS and FR. Overall, microwave co-pyrolysis is a novel and effective method to reduce environmental pollution and produce high-quality products, providing new insights for the low consumption and efficient utilization of industrial solid waste.

Bioethanol Production from Alkali-Treated Corn Stover via Acidic Adjustment by Furfural Residue

Bioethanol Production from Alkali-Treated Corn Stover via Acidic Adjustment by Furfural Residue

Sustainable production and evaluation of bio-based flame-retardant PU foam via liquefaction of industrial biomass residues

The utilization of low-cost renewable feedstock, such as furfural residue and crude glycerol, presents great potential for advancing the bio-based polymer industry. Firstly, this study explored the feasibility of using furfural residue liquefaction in the presence of crude glycerol to synthesize biopolyols. The optimal conditions for liquefaction were determined to be 220 ℃, 3 h, with a 7% sodium hydroxide loading and 9% biomass loading. The hydroxyl and acid numbers of prepared biopolyols were found to be comparable to those of commercial polyols, which were 460 mg KOH/g and 2.25 mg KOH/g, respectively. Subsequently, newly bio-based flame-retardant polyurethane (PU) foam was produced using obtained biopolyols, isocyanate, and flame retardants. The foam demonstrated a compressive strength of 286 kPa and a density of 0.050 g·cm−3, with its thermal conductivity measured at 0.032 W·m−1·K−1. To enhance the flame retardant and insulation properties of the PU foam, 2% of modified hollow silica (Kh-SiO2) was incorporated. PU foams produced under optimal conditions exhibited a limiting oxygen index of 27.25%, demonstrating exceptional fire-retardant characteristics. Cone calorimetry tests revealed that the PU composites had a 45.7% lower peak heat release rate and a 35.7% lower smoke release rate than neat PU foam. Additionally, the synchronous thermal analyzer (STA) revealed that the PU foam exhibited potential thermal insulation performance. This study provides a technically feasible and sustainable approach to valorize furfural residue and crude glycerol for producing biopolyols and flame-retardant insulation PU foam.

Coupling process for preparing biomass-based furfural and levulinic acid from corncob: Extraction, green chemistry and techno-economic assessment

The purpose of this study is to design and investigate two coupling processes for acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of corncob, achieving the simultaneous preparation of biomass-based furfural and levulinic acid (LA). Meanwhile, high concentration and yield of LA were obtained through a situ feeding strategy of pretreated furfural residue with high solids loading (20%, w/v). In Scenario A, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran was selected as the solvent for the LA extraction process compared with the neutralization process in Scenario B. Techno-economic assessment results show that Scenario A is technically feasible and cost-competitive, with an internal rate of return of 21.92%, a net present value of 121 million US dollars, a carbon efficiency of 72%, an environmental factor of 4.38, and a process mass intensity of 32.19. This study will provide new insights for fully utilizing lignocellulosic biomass to prepare renewable energy resources, comprehensively evaluating the economic feasibility, and promoting green and low-carbon development.

Microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis with char-supported Fe-Mn catalysts: A new method for utilizing furfural residue

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effects of bimetallic-modified biochar catalysts on the products obtained from microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis (MACP) of furfural residue (FR). Bimetallic modified biochar catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method with FeCl3 and MnCl2. The results showed that iron (Fe) had a greater erosion effect on the pore structure of the catalyst. Moreover, the presence of bimetals increased the contents of H2 and CO2, decreased the contents of CO and CH4 in the pyrolysis gas, with Fe demonstrating significantly higher selectivity for H2 compared to Mn. The bimetallic modification additionally increased the relative content of phenols, with 2F6M (xFyM, where x and y represent the weight percentages of Fe and Mn) reaching the highest value at 62.22 % with a total loading mass of 8 wt%. Nevertheless, the catalytic effect of the catalyst was influenced by the pore structure, resulting in the lowest phenolic content for 4F4M. At a loading mass of 2 wt%, the catalytic effect of Fe modification surpassed that of Mn. Furthermore, as the Mn content increased, the catalytic effect became more pronounced, particularly when the loading mass exceeded 4 wt%. The results demonstrated that the bimetallic modification effectively enhanced the catalytic performance of the catalyst, promoting the generation of both phenols and H2.

Research on Improvement of Light to Moderate Salinization and Alkalinization Farmland in Northeast China

The soil barrier factors currently present in Tuquan County, Northeast China, such as drought, waterlogging, stickiness, salt, alkalinity, and barrenness. This study chose to build a core demonstration area of 50 mu in Xinglongshan Village, Tuquan County. Seven improvement measures were adopted for soil improvement, including straw returning, alkaline amendment, desulfurization gypsum, organic fertilizer, deep tillage and deep loosening, furfural residue, and salt alkali tolerant variety screening. After adopting the above measures, the average soil pH value decreased by 0.4-0.9, the total salt content decreased by more than 10%, and the organic matter increased by more than 0.2 percentage points. The physical and chemical properties of the soil in the experimental area were significantly improved. These measures not only significantly improve the soil fertility of saline alkali farmland and increase the average grain yield by more than 15 percentage points, but also play a role in protecting farmland, thus forming a virtuous cycle.

Comparative microwave catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose and lignin in nitrogen and carbon dioxide atmospheres

In this paper, a cleaner pyrolysis strategy combining microwave heating, catalyst and carbon dioxide was explored for converting biomass components into higher quality products. Catalytic pyrolysis was more favorable for the decomposition and conversion of complex biomass structures. For furfural residue pyrolysis, potassium sulfate contained in sample served as the main catalytic component. Potassium sulfate promoted the increase of phenols in bio-oil. Notably, carbon dioxide atmosphere promoted the decomposition of substances and exerted a significant effect on biomass pyrolysis, which increased bio-oil yield and declined gas yield. When the pyrolysis atmosphere was changed from nitrogen to carbon dioxide, the ID/IG ratio decreased from 1.07 to 0.74, indicating that carbon dioxide decreased defect structure in biochar. Carbon dioxide enriched the porous structure and surface roughness of biochar. Also, carbon dioxide as a carrier gas was found to be more effective than nitrogen in improving the heating values of biochar and the acidity of bio-oil under carbon dioxide was lower than that under nitrogen, which was conducive to the subsequent utilization of biochar and bio-oil. Carbon dioxide promoted the production of alcohols, alkenes, and alkanes in bio-oil. Beneficially, the interaction of cellulose and lignin inhibited the release of hydrogen chloride. At last, this study also provides insights into the mechanism of catalyst and CO2 on biomass microwave pyrolysis.

Hydrogen-rich syngas production and insight into morphology-kinetics correlation for furfural residue steam gasification in a bubbling fluidized bed

Biomass steam gasification technology has attracted considerable interest for its potential of low-cost and high-efficiency in hydrogen production. However, there is still a large knowledge gap regarding morphology-kinetic correlation. To avoid the technical difficulties of thermogravimetric analysis and fixed bed studying steam gasification kinetics, this work pursues the design and building of a visualized bubbling fluidized bed with an online analysis system. According to the morphology evolution of biomass real-time observed by a high-speed camera, the shrinkage ratio during high-temperature gasification in a fluidized bed has been first deduced. Moreover, based on accurate monitoring of the gas products releasing behavior, multiple kinetic models were applied to evolve the activation energy at different carbon conversion efficiencies (CCE). The results showed that the synergistic regulation of steam concentration and temperature achieved a high H2/CO ratio (2.46) and H2 yield (869.5 L/kg). A comparative analysis of the coupling relationship between shrinkage ratio, activation energy and CCE successfully separated the volatile precipitation and char gasification processes. It was also revealed that the shrinkage rate peaked at the transition from pyrolysis to char gasification (20 % CCE). At CCE below 20 %, the reaction mechanism tended towards a nucleation and growth mechanism. As CCE reached 20 %, the reaction form shifted. Subsequently, the chemical reaction mechanism controlled the main reaction, and the average apparent activation energies of H2, CO2 and CO were 86.76, 31.27 and 39.90 kJ/mol, respectively. This work provides new insights and a theoretical basis for understanding and modeling the biomass steam gasification process in fluidized beds.