Mechanism of hydrochar formation from black liquor
Résumé
Hydrothermal carbonization is gaining increasing attention, since hydrochar demonstrates benefits for a large range of applications (biofuel, energy storage, electrodes…) [1]. The generation of solid is basically performed from solid materials (biomass or waste) making difficult the understanding of the phenomena involved. The aim of this study is to better understand the generation of hydrochar in subcritical conditions using black liquor.
Black liquor (BL) is an alkaline liquid residue of paper industry containing high concentration of dissolved organics (lignin, partially hydrolyzed cellulose), and a high inorganics content (K, Na, Ca, S…). that makes it a high-value biomass. BL was chosen for its high water, organic and inorganic contents of respectively 80, 14 and 6 wt%. The study has been performed in batch reactor at 350°C, under autogenous pressure for various reaction times (0.5 to 24h).