• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.360-369
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• 2016

In this study, sequential leaching and wet torrefaction were performed to improve the fuel characteristics of empty fruit bunch (EFB). Leaching was carried out at $25{\sim}90^{\circ}C$ for 5~30 min. The highest ash removal efficiency of 55.99% was achieved when leaching was performed at $90^{\circ}C$ for 10 min. The ash removal efficiency was dependent more on leaching temperature than time. Wet torrefaction was carried out at $180{\sim}200^{\circ}C$ for 5~40 min, following the leaching. Most of the inorganic compounds were removed at removal efficiencies of 41.05~63.58% during sequential leaching and wet torrefaction, while silica remained in the biomass. Chloride, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus showed more than 80% removal efficiencies. The calorific value of EFB increased to 7.96% (4730 kcal/kg) in comparison to the raw material (4390 kcal/kg) when wet torrefaction was performed at $200^{\circ}C$ for 40 min following leaching.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.685-694
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• 2016

In this study, the thermal degradation behavior of biomass during torrefaction was studied by thermogravimetric and byproduct gas analysis. Torrefaction temperature, time, and heating rate were $220{\sim}300^{\circ}C$, 110 min, and $10{\sim}30^{\circ}C/min$, respectively. The degradation rate of yellow poplar was 8.01~8.81% at $220^{\circ}C$ and 71.86~77.38% at $300^{\circ}C$ depending on heating rate. The degradation rate significantly increased at temperature over $240^{\circ}C$. On the other hand, degradation rate of larch was relatively low as 49.58~54.15% at $300^{\circ}C$. The activation energy of yellow poplar was 87.32~91.24 kJ/mol; these values did not significantly change with heating rate. The activation energy of larch was 83.85~91.60 kJ/mol. The major components of the gas generated during torrefaction were derived from hemicellulose. The component types and concentrations increased with torrefaction severity. High concentrations of furfural and acetic acid were detected during torrefaction of yellow poplar.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.59 no.5
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• pp.17-23
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• 2017

In South Korea, 25 % of annual agricultural residues (11.64 million tons) are unused. The hydrophilicity, low lower heating value (LHV), and low energy density of agricultural residues can be obstacles for efficient usage. Torrefaction, a low temperature pyrolysis process, can be a solution to overcome these disadvantage of agricultural residues. In this study, agricultural residues such as bean stem, pepper stem, perilla stem, sorghum stem, acorn shell, and ginkgo shell are torrefied at 200, 230, and $250^{\circ}C$ and evaluated energy properties, respectively. The torrefaction can increase the LHV and energy density rate of agricultural residues from 3,331~4,444 kcal/kg to 4,166~5,830 kcal/kg and 20~30 %, respectively.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.350-355
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• 2018

In this study, the effect of biomass torrefaction on the thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of cork oak was investigated. The thermal and catalytic pyrolysis behavior of cork oak (CO) and torrefied CO (TCO) were evaluated by comparing their thermogravimetric (TG) analysis results and product distributions of bio-oils obtained from the fast pyrolysis using a fixed bed reactor. TG and differential TG (DTG) curves of CO and TCO revealed that the elimination amount of hemicellulose in CO increased by applying the higher torrefaction temperature and longer torrefaction time. CO torrefaction also decreased the oil yield but increased that of solid char during the pyrolysis because the contents of cellulose and lignin in CO increased due to the elimination of hemicellulose during torrefaction. Selectivities of the levoglucosan and phenolics in TCO pyrolysis oil were higher than those in CO pyrolysis oil. The content of aromatic hydrocarbons in bio-oil increased by applying the catalytic pyrolysis of CO and TCO over HZSM-5 ($SiO_2/Al_2O_3=30$). Compared to CO, TCO showed the higher efficiency on the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons via the catalytic pyrolysis over HZSM-5 and the efficiency was maximized by applying the higher torrefaction and catalytic pyrolysis reaction temperatures of 280 and $600^{\circ}C$, respectively.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.235-240
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• 2014

In this study, the torrefaction of food waste was conducted to characterize its product, to find out effect of the operating temperature and to assess the feasibility of being used as fuel. The operating temperature was varid from $180^{\circ}C{\sim}270^{\circ}C$ and heat was provided by using nitrogen gas or waste oil heat carrier. The solid yield and moisture content were reduced were reduced as temperature increased. The moisture content reduction and thermochemical conversion were observed at higher than $240^{\circ}C$. At low operating temperature, heat transfer efficiency was higher with wast oil heat carrier. As temperature increases, there was not difference in heat transfer efficiency of two different heating methods. The lower heating value product was increased from 660 to 6,400 Kcal/kg with nitrogen gas and 6,890 Kcal/kg with waste oil heat carrier. The elemental analysis indicates that, as temperature increases, the carbon content of product increases and oxygen content decreases. From the analysis of O/C and H/C, the torrefaction product was close to low grade coal. The characteristics of fuel converted from the food subsequent thermochemical treatment.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.18-28
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• 2014

Renewable Portfolio Standards(RPS) is a regulation that requires a renewable energy generated from eco-friendly energy sources such as biomass, wind, solar, and geothermal. The RPS mechanism generally is an obligatory policy that places on electricity supply companies to produce a designated fraction of their electricity from renewable energies. The domestic companies to supply electricity largely rely on wood pellets in order to implement the RPS in spite of undesirable situation of lack of wood resources in Korea. This means that the electricity supply companies in Korea must explore new biomass as an alternative to wood. Palm kernel shell (PKS) and empty fruit bunch (EFB) as oil palm wastes can be used as raw materials used for making pellets after their thermochemical treatment like torrefaction. Torrefaction is a pretreatment process which serves to improve the properties including heating value and energy densification of these oil palm wastes through a mild pyrolysis at temperature typically ranging between 200 and $300^{\circ}C$ in the absence of oxygen under atmospheric pressure. Torrefaction of oil palms wastes at above $200^{\circ}C$ contributed to the increase of fixed carbon with the decrease of volatile matters, leading to the improvement of their calorific values over 20.9 MJ/kg (=5,000 kcal/kg) up to 25.1 MJ/kg (=6,000 kcal/kg). In particular, EFB sensitively responded to torrefaction because of its physical properties like fiber bundles, compared to PKS and hardwood chips. In conclusion, torrefaction treatment of PKS and EFB can greatly contribute to the implement of RPS of the electricity supply companies in Korea through the increased co-firing biomass with coal.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.11a
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• pp.263-263
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• 2014

Low temperature pyrolysis of woody biomass has been conducted to produce highcalorie torrefied fuel. In this experiment, to maximize the energy efficiency in heat transfer, flue gas is directly used for heat source in the torrefier. To accomplish the oxygen free environment in the torrefaction reactor, a burner has been developed and it can be runned with fuel rich state. An inner central axis rotating type of reactor was applied in experiment. To use the calorific gases produced from torrefier, another burner is developed to combust them.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.122-134
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• 2015

This study was conducted to investigate the potential of torrefied larch wood as a raw material of pellets. First of all, larch chip was torrefied at the temperatures of 230, 250 and $270^{\circ}C$ for 30, 50 and 70 min. Secondly, moisture content, moisture absorption, higher heating value and ash content of the torrefied chip were measured to examine the effects of torrefaction conditions on the fuel characteristics of larch. Thirdly, surfaces of the torrefied chip were observed by light microscope (LM), field emission scanning microscope (FE-SEM) and SEM-energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDXS). With the increases of torrefied temperature and time, contents of lignin increased and those of hemicellulose reduced. Moisture content of torrefied larch chip was greatly lower than that of non-torrefied chip. Moisture absorption of the torrefied chip decreased as torrefaction temperature increased. As torrefaction temperature increased, higher heating value and ash content of larch chip increased. However, durability of torrefied-larch pellets was remarkably lower comparing to non-torrefied-larch pellets. When surface of larch chip was observed by LM and FE-SEM, surface color and cell wall of the chip was getting darker and more collapsed with the increases of torrefaction conditions. Through the analysis of SEM-EDXS, distribution and quantity of lignin existing on the surface of larch chip increased with the increases of torrefied conditions. In conclusion, $270^{\circ}C$/50 min might be an optimal condition for the torrefaction of larch with the aspect of fuel characteristics, but torrefaction condition of $230^{\circ}C$/30 min should be considered according to the durability of torrefied-larch pellets.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.29-35
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• 2013

This research analyzed the fuel characteristic change of spent coffee bean by torrefaction. The calorific value was increased from 4,974 kcal/kg to 6,075 kcal/kg ($260^{\circ}C$, 30min), 6,452 kcal/kg ($270^{\circ}C$, 30min), 6,823 kcal/kg ($280^{\circ}C$, 30min), 6,970 kcal/kg ($260^{\circ}C$, 30min). The highest energy yield was obtained when the spent coffee bean were torrefied on the condition of $280^{\circ}C$, 30min. The moisture absorption rate was decreased from 5.12% to 2.76% when the spent coffee bean were torrefied on the condition of $290^{\circ}C$, 30min. Lignin was increased from 11.33% to 14.39% on the condition of $260^{\circ}C$ 30min. But it did not preferability to torrefy spent coffee bean at temperature of more than $270^{\circ}C$ because lignin decreases to the level that is hard to make pellet.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.11a
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• pp.375-378
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• 2014

In this study, we carried out torrefaction experiment using PKS(Palm Kernel Shell), and Bagasse as a raw material of oversee of herbaceous biomass and using waste wood and logging residue as a raw material of domestic of woody biomass. And then, by analyzing the physical & chemical properties, we investigated the characteristics as a fuel. By using the result of thermo gravimetric analysis, the biomass residue was torrefied for 30 minutes at a temperature range of $250-350^{\circ}C$ in anaerobic condition. As a result, torrefied materials of moisture content are lower than raw, but of fixed carbon, calorific value and ash are higher than raw.