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Cross-upgrading of biomass hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis for high quality blast furnace injection fuel production: Physicochemical characteristics and gasification kinetics analysis

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Abstract

The paper proposes a biomass cross-upgrading process that combines hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis to produce high-quality blast furnace injection fuel. The results showed that after upgrading, the volatile content of biochar ranged from 16.19% to 45.35%, and the alkali metal content, ash content, and specific surface area were significantly reduced. The optimal route for biochar production is hydrothermal carbonization–pyrolysis (P-HC), resulting in biochar with a higher calorific value, C=C structure, and increased graphitization degree. The apparent activation energy (E) of the sample ranges from 199.1 to 324.8 kJ/mol, with P-HC having an E of 277.8 kJ/mol, lower than that of raw biomass, primary biochar, and anthracite. This makes P-HC more suitable for blast furnace injection fuel. Additionally, the paper proposes a path for P-HC injection in blast furnaces and calculates potential environmental benefits. P-HC offers the highest potential for carbon emission reduction, capable of reducing emissions by 96.04 kg/t when replacing 40wt% coal injection.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2022YFE0208100), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 5274316), the Key Research and Development Plan of Anhui Province, China (No. 202210700037), and the Major Science and Technology Project of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China (No. 2022A01003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Han Dang, Runsheng Xu, Jianliang Zhang, Mingyong Wang & Jinhua Li

  2. School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Queensland, 4072, Australia

    Jianliang Zhang

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  1. Han Dang
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Correspondence to Runsheng Xu or Jinhua Li.

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Jianliang Zhang is an editorial board member for this journal and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article. The authors have no financial or proprietary interests in any material discussed in this article.

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Dang, H., Xu, R., Zhang, J. et al. Cross-upgrading of biomass hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis for high quality blast furnace injection fuel production: Physicochemical characteristics and gasification kinetics analysis. Int J Miner Metall Mater 31, 268–281 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-023-2728-0

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