Product Characteristics of Torrefied Wood Sawdust in Normal and Vacuum Environments

Yi-Kai Chih, Wei-Hsin Chen, Hwai Chyuan Ong and Pau Loke Show
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Yi-Kai Chih: Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
Wei-Hsin Chen: Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
Hwai Chyuan Ong: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Pau Loke Show: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Jalan, Broga, Semenyih 43500, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 20, 1-17

Abstract: To investigate the efficacy of torrefaction in a vacuum environment, wood sawdust was torrefied at various temperatures (200–300 °C) in different atmospheres (nitrogen and vacuum) with different residence times (30 and 60 min). It was found that the amount of biochar reduced at the same rate—regardless of atmosphere type—throughout the torrefaction process. In terms of energy density, the vacuum system produced biochar with better higher heating value (HHV, MJ/kg) than the nitrogen system below 250 °C. This was the case because the moisture and the high volatility compounds such as aldehydes diffused more easily in a vacuum. Over 250 °C, however, a greater amount of low volatility compounds evaded from the vacuum system, resulting in lower higher heating value in the biochar. Despite the mixed results with the solid products, the vacuum system increased the higher heating value of its liquid products more significantly than did the nitrogen system regardless of torrefaction temperature. It was found that 23% of the total energy output came from the liquid products in the vacuum system; the corresponding ratio was 19% in the nitrogen system. With liquid products contributing to a larger share of the total energy output, the vacuum system outperformed the nitrogen system in terms of energy density.

Keywords: torrefaction; vacuum; biomass pretreatment; bioenergy; energy yield; biochar (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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