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Experimental Investigation of Lignin Decomposition and Char Structure During CO2 and H2O/N2 Gasification

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Abstract

Characterization of the char pore structure resulting from thermal decomposition of lignin during TGA processing in both CO2 and H2O/N2 media was performed using an Hitachi 4700 scanning electron microscope. Lignin, the more thermally resilient structural component of ligno-cellulosic biomass feedstocks, was found to undergo more complete conversion to volatiles during thermal processing in a CO2 as compared to a H2O/N2 gasification medium. The pyrolytic char created during CO2 thermal treatment exhibited a more porous surface and an intricate channel structure that enabled the CO2 molecules to access the inner volume and provided a channel network for escaping volatiles. This resulted in a more complete solid to gas conversion of the char during CO2 gasification. Both a greater surface pore density and a wider pore size distribution was observed in those chars undergoing thermal decomposition in CO2.

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  1. Henry Krumb School of Mines, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Heidi C. Butterman & Marco J. Castaldi

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  1. Heidi C. Butterman
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  2. Marco J. Castaldi
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Correspondence to Heidi C. Butterman.

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Butterman, H.C., Castaldi, M.J. Experimental Investigation of Lignin Decomposition and Char Structure During CO2 and H2O/N2 Gasification. Waste Biomass Valor 3, 49–60 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-011-9086-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-011-9086-2

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