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Ischia G, Orlandi M, Fendrich MA, Bettonte M, Merzari F, Miotello A, Fiori L. Realization of a solar hydrothermal carbonization reactor: A zero-energy technology for waste biomass valorization. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 259:110067. [PMID: 31932267 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Research around hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has seen a huge development in recent years, materializing in the first pilot and industrial plants. Even though HTC reactions are slightly exothermic, the overall process entails energy consumption to both reach operating conditions and tackle heat losses. To face this issue and to develop a zero-energy process, this work proposes an innovative solution: the coupling of an HTC reactor with a solar concentrator, designed to fully cover the HTC energy needs. A 300 ml stainless steel HTC reactor was constructed and positioned on the focus of a parabolic dish concentrator (PDC), consisting of one parabolic mirror of 0.8 m2. To maximize the light absorption, the illuminated side of the HTC reactor was coated with a thin layer of nanostructured copper oxide, realized via electron beam deposition. Then, the effectiveness of the hybrid solar-HTC solution was demonstrated by carrying out an experimental campaign on a residual agro-biomass (grape seeds), which was treated at 180, 220, and 250 °C for 2 h. The coating confers excellent absorbing performances to the system, exhibiting an absorptance of up to 95.6% (at 300 nm wavelength). Heating times, yields, composition, and energy properties of "solar hydrochars" resemble those of studies performed in traditional HTC systems. This research work proves the feasibility of the solar-HTC prototype apparatus and opens the way to the development of a zero-energy solar-HTC technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Ischia
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | - Michele Orlandi
- Department of Physics, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 14, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | | | - Marco Bettonte
- Department of Physics, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 14, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | - Fabio Merzari
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | - Antonio Miotello
- Department of Physics, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 14, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | - Luca Fiori
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123, Trento, Italy.
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Ho HC, Bonnesen PV, Nguyen NA, Cullen DA, Uhrig D, Goswami M, Keum JK, Naskar AK. Method To Synthesize Micronized Spherical Carbon Particles from Lignin. Ind Eng Chem Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.9b05143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hoi Chun Ho
- The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | | | - Ngoc A. Nguyen
- School of Chemical Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
| | | | | | | | | | - Amit K. Naskar
- The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
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Ho HC, Nguyen NA, Meek KM, Alonso DM, Hakim SH, Naskar AK. A Solvent-Free Synthesis of Lignin-Derived Renewable Carbon with Tunable Porosity for Supercapacitor Electrodes. CHEMSUSCHEM 2018; 11:2953-2959. [PMID: 29969535 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201800929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 06/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Synthesis of multiphase materials from lignin, a biorefinery coproduct, offers limited success owing to the inherent difficulty in controlling dispersion of these renewable hyperbranched macromolecules in the product or its intermediates. Effective use of the chemically reactive functionalities in lignin, however, enables tuning morphologies of the materials. Here, we bind lignin oligomers with a rubbery macromolecule followed by thermal crosslinking to form a carbon precursor with phase contrasted morphology at submicron scale. The solvent-free mixing is conducted in a high-shear melt mixer. With this, the carbon precursor is further modified with potassium hydroxide for a single-step carbonization to yield activated carbon with tunable pore structure. A typical precursor with 90 % lignin yields porous carbon with 2120 m2 g-1 surface area and supercapacitor with 215 F g-1 capacitance. The results show a simple route towards manufacturing carbon-based energy-storage materials, eliminating the need for conventional template synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoi Chun Ho
- The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
- Carbon and Composite Group, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Ngoc A Nguyen
- Carbon and Composite Group, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Kelly M Meek
- Carbon and Composite Group, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - David Martin Alonso
- Glucan Biorenewables LLC, 505 South Rosa Road, Suite 112, Madison, WI, 53719, USA
| | - Sikander H Hakim
- Glucan Biorenewables LLC, 505 South Rosa Road, Suite 112, Madison, WI, 53719, USA
| | - Amit K Naskar
- The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
- Carbon and Composite Group, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
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