Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Benedetta de Caprariis, Marco Scarsella, Irene Bavasso, M. Paola Bracciale, Lingyu Tai, Paolo De Filippis
Summary: Understanding the behavior of cellulose in hydrothermal conditions with the assistance of different transition metals is crucial for comprehending the lignocellulosic biomass liquefaction mechanism. The addition of Ni, Fe, and Zn during hydrothermal liquefaction of cellulose showed varying effects on bio-crude yield and quality. Fe was found to be the most effective in increasing bio-crude yield and higher heating value, while Zn led to an increase in water-soluble products.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Chengkun Zhang, Long Han, Mi Yan, Jia Xia, Nai Rong, Humair Ahmed Baloch, Hui Guo, Pingjiang Wu, Guoqiang Xu, Kaili Ma
Summary: This study investigated the hydrothermal co-liquefaction of rice straw and waste cooking-oil model compound to optimize bio-crude yield. The results showed that the highest biocrude yield was obtained at specific temperature, time and mass ratios, and the presence of WCOM improved the overall conversion rate of RS. Co-liquefaction was found effective in enhancing the qualitative and quantitative features of biomass products.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Chitra Devi Venkatachalam, Sathish Raam Ravichandran, Mothil Sengottian
Summary: Thermochemical conversion is an effective process for producing biocrude, and Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) is a promising technique. Algae, as a third-generation feedstock, plays a crucial role in bio-oil production. The subcritical water in HTL facilitates the production of various chemicals from biomass, as well as the synthesis of bio-gas and bio-char. This review provides an overview of different conversion routes and examines the effects of operating parameters on biocrude yield.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xin Ding, Seshasayee Mahadevan Subramanya, Yuqi Wang, Phillip E. Savage
Summary: In this study, the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of potato starch was examined with the addition of K2HPO4 and metal-containing co-catalysts. Co-catalytic HTL with K2HPO4 and either Mo2C or Co-Mo/gamma-Al2O3 produced more biocrude than HTL with no catalyst or either catalyst alone. The use of K2HPO4 and Co-Mo/gamma-Al2O3 together led to a biocrude with higher energy content and a larger portion of desirable lighter components.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Jayaseelan Arun, Kannappan Panchamoorthy Gopinath, Ramachandran Sivaramakrishnan, Sivaprasad Shyam, Namasivayam Mayuri, Sadhasivan Manasa, Arivalagan Pugazhendhi
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the hydrothermal liquefaction of Prosopis juliflora biomass for the production of ferulic acid and bio-oil. The biomass was processed with various solvents to produce ferulic acid, and the spent solid residue was then treated using HTL to obtain bio-oil. Additionally, the Nano ZnO catalyst showed recyclability over two to three consecutive cycles.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bruno C. Magalhaes, Ruben Checa, Chantal Lorentz, Mathieu Prevot, Pavel Afanasiev, Dorothee Laurenti, Christophe Geantet
Summary: Global energy demand and environmental concerns have led to a growing emphasis on fuel production from renewable resources. Microalgae offer an attractive alternative carbon source. This study investigated the hydroconversion of bio-oil derived from hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae using supported catalysts. NiW sulfide catalysts proved to be the most efficient, producing a hydrotreated oil with superior properties. The results suggest that different catalysts promote different reaction pathways, contributing to the conversion of refractory compounds.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Swathi Mukundan, Jin Xuan, Sandra E. Dann, Jonathan L. Wagner
Summary: This article presents a magnetite supported on activated carbon catalyst that can be magnetically retrieved and reused without regeneration. The FeOx/C catalyst increased the bio-oil yield by 19.7 +/- 0.96% in the HTL of draff reaction. The use of homogeneous Na2CO3 base as a catalyst and co-catalyst improved carbon extraction into the aqueous phase. The exceptional catalytic activity is attributed to the Fe3O4 phase, which enhances biomass decomposition and oil property with an energy recovery of about 84%.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Roya Hamidi, Lingyu Tai, Laura Paglia, Marco Scarsella, Martina Damizia, Paolo De Filippis, Sogand Musivand, Benedetta de Caprariis
Summary: In this study, a low-cost catalyst and heterogeneous hydrogen producer were used for the upgrading of bio-crude. The synthesized Y zeolite showed better performance due to the introduction of TMAOH template. The upgraded oil yield increased and the coke amount reduced, leading to a higher heating value. Hydrogenation products were produced in higher amounts, consuming furan derivatives and lignin-derived compounds. Additionally, a one-pot catalytic hydrothermal treatment method was conducted, combining the bio-crude production and upgrading steps together.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
J. J. Malpica-Maldonado, A. L. Martínez-Salazar, B. Portales-Martínez, M. A. Coronel-Garcia, Y. Salazar-Cerda
Summary: In this study, hydrothermal liquefaction of wood chips was investigated using Ni-Mo nitrides and carbides as catalysts, leading to an improved production of biocrude. The results showed that increasing the nickel loading on the catalyst can reduce the yield of solid products and increase the yield of gaseous products. The NiMo-10 catalyst exhibited the best catalytic performance, enhancing the quality of biocrude through selective conversion.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Sayed Ahmed Ebrahim, Gilles Robertson, Xin Jiang, Elena A. Baranova, Devinder Singh
Summary: This study evaluated the effectiveness of commercial catalysts in improving the yield and quality of bio-crude produced from food waste. The results show that different catalysts and operating gases have an impact on the bio-crude yield, HHV, and asphaltenes content.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Bojun Zhao, Haoyang Li, Haoyu Wang, Yulin Hu, Jihui Gao, Guangbo Zhao, Madhumita B. Ray, Chunbao Charles Xu
Summary: The study demonstrates that metallic iron can increase bio-oil yield and promote hydrodeoxygenation. Noticeable synergistic effects were found with mixed additives of Fe and alkali catalyst or FeS, with Fe + Na2CO3 achieving the highest bio-oil yield and energy recovery. The combination of Fe + Ru/C produced bio-oil with the highest HHV and lowest oxygenated compounds.
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Chitra Devi Venkatachalam, Sarath Sekar, Sathish Raam Ravichandran, Mothil Sengottian, Karthikeyan Chinnusamy Sukumar, Dhinakar Chenniappan, Gnana Aravindh Ramachandran
Summary: The increasing global demand for cleaner energy has shifted focus towards renewable energy sources such as biomass, solar, and wind, instead of fossil fuels. Among the various bioenergy conversion processes, hydrothermal liquefaction has gained significant attention due to its availability and ease of use throughout the year. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the hydrothermal liquefaction of algal biomass, focusing specifically on the use of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts to improve bio-crude yield. The review also discusses the impact of process parameters and provides insights into the reaction pathway for algal biomass. Furthermore, it evaluates the effects of different catalysts on product formation and briefly touches upon the applications of the obtained products.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Oraleou Sangue Djandja, Adekunle Akim Salami, Haojun Yuan, Hongwei Lin, Zizhi Huang, Shimin Kang
Summary: In this study, eXtreme Gradient Boosting was used to predict the bio-oil yield during solvothermal liquefaction of lignocellulosic biowaste. It was found that the prediction of the biomass conversion was crucial in establishing an accurate model. By combining the contents of biochemical components and operating factors, the best prediction for the biomass conversion was achieved. Introduction of the biomass conversion as an input improved the prediction accuracy of bio-oil yield. The best prediction models were explained using game theory-based feature importance and partial dependence plotting analysis, shedding light on biomass conversion pathways and bio-oil generation mechanism.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Xin Ding, Seshasayee Mahadevan Subramanya, Kayley E. Waltz, Yuqi Wang, Phillip E. Savage
Summary: The hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of starch, cellulose, pectin, and chitin was investigated using various catalysts. Co-Mo/γ-Al2O3 showed the highest biocrude yields and had little effect on the elemental composition of the biocrudes. A component additivity model accurately predicted the biocrude yields.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shengfei Dong, Xinghua Huang, Xiaoyi Yang
Summary: This paper investigates the effect of different conditions on microalgae bio-crude enhancement, and finds that under specific conditions, using ethanol-water co-solvent or methanol/ethanol-water co-solvent as the medium can achieve high recovery rates of carbon, hydrogen, and energy, as well as high content of fatty acids and fatty acid esters. The nitrogen content of bio-crude obtained by the two-step method is lower, and ethanol-water co-solvent as the liquid phase medium performs well in terms of the content of cholesterol and vitamin E as bioactive substances.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Lingyu Tai, Sogand Musivand, Benedetta de Caprariis, Martina Damizia, Roya Hamidi, Wenchao Ma, Paolo De Filippis
Summary: Plastic nylon 66, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were treated in subcritical water to produce valuable liquid chemicals and clean solid fuels. Co-treatment of PVC and the other two plastics showed a synergistic effect. Nylon 66 and EVA required higher temperatures for complete hydrolysis, while PVC dechlorination was achieved at a relatively low temperature. The hydrochloric acid released from PVC acted as a catalyst, significantly accelerating the hydrolysis of nylon 66 and EVA.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Lingyu Tai, Roya Hamidi, Benedetta de Caprariis, Martina Damizia, Laura Paglia, Marco Scarsella, Ramin Karimzadeh, Paolo De Filippis
Summary: The catalytic hydrotreating of guaiacol using bifunctional catalysts supported on chemically modified zeolites with increased mesoporosity showed enhanced conversion rate and catalytic performance. However, the catalyst exhibited a decrease in performance after multiple consecutive runs, attributed to the oxidation of Ni active site, coking, and zinc oxide contamination.
Article
Thermodynamics
Roya Hamidi, Lingyu Tai, Laura Paglia, Marco Scarsella, Martina Damizia, Paolo De Filippis, Sogand Musivand, Benedetta de Caprariis
Summary: In this study, a low-cost catalyst and heterogeneous hydrogen producer were used for the upgrading of bio-crude. The synthesized Y zeolite showed better performance due to the introduction of TMAOH template. The upgraded oil yield increased and the coke amount reduced, leading to a higher heating value. Hydrogenation products were produced in higher amounts, consuming furan derivatives and lignin-derived compounds. Additionally, a one-pot catalytic hydrothermal treatment method was conducted, combining the bio-crude production and upgrading steps together.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Simone Marzeddu, Maria Alejandra Decima, Luca Camilli, Maria Paola Bracciale, Virgilio Genova, Laura Paglia, Francesco Marra, Martina Damizia, Marco Stoller, Agostina Chiavola, Maria Rosaria Boni
Summary: Biochar has various applications, including soil improvement and remediation of contaminated substances. This study compared the properties of activated carbon and two biochars, revealing similar chemical compositions but different physical properties and specific surface areas.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Maria Paola Bracciale, Martina Damizia, Paolo De Filippis, Benedetta de Caprariis
Summary: This study proposes a cleaning method system based on tar physical adsorption and a chemical looping process to convert biomass into syngas. The system effectively removes tar and contaminants and produces pure H2 and CO.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ikram Eladnani, Maria Paola Bracciale, Martina Damizia, Seyedmohammad Mousavi, Paolo De Filippis, Rajae Lakhmiri, Benedetta de Caprariis
Summary: The study investigated the catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction of Brachychiton populneus biomass seed, using Ni and Fe as catalysts. The highest bio-crude yields were achieved at 330 degrees C and 10 min of reaction time, with Ni/Al2O3 as catalyst and Fe as hydrogen donor. The combination of Fe and Ni/Al2O3 favored the conversion of fatty acids into hydrocarbons, increasing their amount in the bio-crude to approximately 20%.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Martina Damizia, Maria P. Bracciale, Francesco Anania, Lingyu Tai, Paolo De Filippis, Benedetta de Caprariis
Summary: Chemical Looping Hydrogen (CLH) enables the direct production of pure hydrogen using the redox properties of Fe and various reductants. This study successfully produced a highly pure hydrogen stream for Proton Exchange membrane Fuel Cells using bioethanol as a renewable fuel. The impact of temperature and chemical composition of Fe-based particles on carbon formation during the reduction step was thoroughly examined.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Roya Hamidi, Martina Damizia, Paolo De Filippis, Daniele Patrizi, Nicola Verdone, Giorgio Vilardi, Benedetta de Caprariis
Summary: Biofuels are a promising alternative to fossil fuels for reducing global warming. Researchers have been studying process intensification techniques to maximize biofuel yields and minimize energy consumption, with hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) showing promising results, particularly for hard-to-decompose feedstocks. This review focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of HC-assisted processes for producing biodiesel, bioethanol, and biogas from waste/non-edible oils and lignocellulosic biomass. The influence of operational conditions and cavitation device design on HC effectiveness, as well as three cavitation models, are discussed in detail. The review also compares HC-assisted processes with conventional technologies in terms of yields, energy consumption, and process scale, highlighting the challenges and limitations that need to be addressed before scaling up HC-assisted processes. The findings show that HC-assisted biodiesel production can achieve yields of over 99% in a short period of time using different waste oils, meeting high-purity standards set by EN 14214 and ASTM D6751. Additionally, HC-assisted lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment allows for high lignin removal (60%) with significantly less energy consumption compared to ultrasound-assisted processes, making it crucial for efficient production of bioethanol and biogas from lignocellulosic wastes.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
G. Grasa, I. Martinez, R. Murillo
Summary: Gasification kinetics of six chars from residual origin were studied under relatively low temperature, low CO2, and high H2O partial pressures. The Random Pore Model (RPM) showed the best fit to experimental results, but the selection of the reaction model depended on the ash composition, specifically the presence of alkali and alkaline earth metals. Chars with ash content higher than 30% wt. were modeled with the RPM model, while chars with the highest K/Si ratio required modified versions of the RPM to accurately predict reaction rates. Textural properties played a key role in determining reaction parameters, such as the pre-exponential factor and activation energy, for chars with similar ash content and composition.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2024)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
V. Godvin Sharmila, Surya Prakash Shanmugavel, J. Rajesh Banu
Summary: Proper treatment and disposal of biomass waste is crucial to prevent environmental deposition and its negative impacts. Biofuel has emerged as a potential alternative to fossil fuels, reducing carbon emissions and meeting global energy demands. This review examines different biomass waste conversion techniques and explores the production of biofuels with zero carbon emissions. Research on anaerobic treatment, metabolic engineering, and artificial intelligence has been conducted to enhance biofuel production efficiency.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2024)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
Selvakumar Periyasamy, Adane Asefa Adego, P. Senthil Kumar, G. G. Desta, T. Zelalem, V. Karthik, J. Beula Isabel, Mani Jayakumar, Venkatesa Prabhu Sundramurthy, Gayathri Rangasamy
Summary: Valorizing agricultural waste into valuable products is crucial for environmental protection and bioeconomy advancement. Preprocessing of agricultural waste is a critical step to convert free carbohydrate molecules for final conversion, and factors such as biomass nature, feed loading, pH, temperature, and time influence the process. This review provides comprehensive information on agricultural waste availability, preprocessing techniques, and factors influencing performance.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Aqueel Ahmad, Ashok Kumar Yadav, Achhaibar Singh, Dinesh Kumar Singh
Summary: The study focuses on predicting and optimizing the yield of biogas production in an anaerobic digester using co-digestion. Experimental data was used to develop a machine learning-based prognostic model, and the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the parameters. The results demonstrate that RSM coupled with machine learning is an effective technique for modeling, predicting, and optimizing biogas production yield.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Yijing Zhong, Wenxiang Zhai, Xinli Wei
Summary: This paper studies the thermal stability and decomposition of cork materials with and without silica aerogel filler. The results show that the decomposition is inhibited and the pyrolysis is significantly reduced with the addition of silica aerogel. This finding suggests that silica aerogel-infused cork may be a promising raw material for biofuel production with reduced environmental pollution.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2024)