Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Characterization of hydrochar obtained from hydrothermal carbonization of wheat straw digestate

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of wheat straw digestate was performed at 180–260 °C for 2–8 h. The resulted hydrochars were analyzed by ultimate analyzer. Elemental carbon and oxygen concentration of hydrochars were fitted with power law correlation. Moreover, chemical structures of feedstocks and hydrochars were investigated by 13C cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In particular, a procedure including CP dynamics analysis was applied to obtain semi-quantitative information on the composition of the analyzed materials from 13C CP/MAS spectra. Up to a process temperature of 220 °C, digestate-derived hydrochar contained primarily crystalline cellulose and lignin. At 260 °C, crystalline cellulose was degraded and more aliphatic carbon and lignin-rich hydrochars were produced. Ester bands corresponding to hemicellulose disappeared at mild HTC conditions at 180 °C and 2 h.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hendriks ATWM, Zeemann G (2009) Pretreatments to enhance the digestibility of lignocellulosic biomass. Bioresour Technol 100:10–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Funke A, Mumme J, Diakite M (2013) Cascaded production of biogas and hydrochar from wheat straw: energetic potential and recovery of carbon and plant nutrients. Biomass Bioenergy 58:229–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Nkoa A (2014) Agricultural benefits and environmental risks of soil fertilization with anaerobic digestates: a review. Agron Sustain Dev 34:473–492

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Berge ND, Ro KS, Mao J, Flora JRV, Chappell MA, Bae S (2011) Hydrothermal carbonization of municipal waste streams. Environ Sci Technol 45:5696–5703

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Goto M, Obuchi R, Hirose T, Sasaki T, Shibata M (2004) Hydrothermal conversion of municipal organic waste into resources. Bioresour Technol 93:279–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Mumme J, Eckervogt L, Pielert J, Diakité M, Rupp F, Kern J (2011) Hydrothermal carbonization of anaerobically digested maize silage. Bioresour Technol 102:9255–9260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Reza MT, Werner M, Pohl M, Mumme J (2014) Evaluation of integrated anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal carbonization for bioenergy production. J Vis Exp 88:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  8. Reza MT, Borrego A, Wirth B (2014) Optical texture of hydrochar from maize silage and maize silage digestate, Int. J Coal Geol 134–135:74–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Dicke C, Lanza G, Mumme J, Ellerbrock R, Kern J (2014) Effect of HTC-char application on trace gas emissions from two sandy soil horizons. J Environ Qual 43:1790–1798

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Reza MT, Uddin MH, Lynam JG, Hoekman SK, Coronella CJ (2014) Hydrothermal carbonization: reaction chemistry and water balance. Biomass Conv Bioref 4:311–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Reza MT, Becker W, Sachsenheimer K, Mumme J (2014) Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC): Near infrared spectroscopy and partial least-squares regression for determination of selective components in HTC solid and liquid products derived from maize silage. Bioresour Technol 161:91–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Reza MT, Lynam JG, Vasquez VR, Coronella CJ (2014) Engineered pellets from hydrothermally carbonized and torrefied biochar blend. Biomass Bioenergy 63:229–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Reza MT, Andert J, Wirth B, Busch D, Pielert J, Lynam JG et al (2014) Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass for energy and crop production. App Bioenerg 1:11–28

    Google Scholar 

  14. Reza MT, Wirth B, Lüder W, Werner M (2014) Behavior of selected hydrolyzed and dehydrated products during hydrothermal carbonization of biomass. Bioresour Technol 169:352–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Sevilla M, Fuertes AB (2009) The production of carbon materials by hydrothermal carbonization of cellulose. Carbon 47:2281–2289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Calucci L, Rasse DP, Forte C (2012) Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of chars obtained from hydrothermal carbonization of corncob and miscanthus. Energ Fuel 27:303–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Cao X, Ro K, Chappell M, Li Y, Mao J (2011) Chemical structures of swine-manure chars produced under different carbonization conditions investigated by advanced solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Energ Fuel 25:388–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Pohl M, Mumme J, Heeg K, Nettmann E (2012) Thermo- and mesophilic anaerobic digestion of wheat straw by the upflow anaerobic solid-state (UASS) process. Bioresour Technol 124:321–327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Boie W (1953) Fuel technology calculations. Energietechnik 3:309–316

    Google Scholar 

  20. Grénman H, Eränen K, Krogell J, Willför S, Salmi T, Murzin DY (2011) The kinetics of aqueous extraction of hemicelluloses from spruce in an intensified reactor system. Ind Eng Chem Res 50:3818–3828

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Reza MT, Uddin MH, Lynam JG, Coronella CJ (2013) Hydrothermal carbonization: fate of inorganics. Biomass Bioenergy 49:86–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Reza MT, Uddin MH, Lynam JG, Hoekman SK, Coronella CJ, Vasquez VR (2013) Reaction kinetics and particle size effect on hydrothermal carbonization of loblolly pine. Bioresour Technol 139:161–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Oliveira I, Blöhse D, Ramke HG (2013) Hydrothermal carbonization of agricultural residues. Bioresour Technol 142:138–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Becker R, Dorgerloch U, Helmis M, Mumme J, Diakité M, Nehls I (2013) Hydrothermally carbonized plant material: patterns of volatile organic compounds detected by gas chromatography. Bioresour Technol 130:621–628

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Peterson AA, Vogel F, Lachance RP, Fröling M, Antal MJ (2008) Thermochemical biofuel production in hydrothermal media: a review of sub- and supercritical water technologies. Energy Environ Sci 1:32–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Lu X, Pellechia PJ, Flora JRV, Berge ND (2013) Influence of reaction time and temperature on product formation and characteristics associated with the hydrothermal carbonization of cellulose. Bioresour Technol 138:180–190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Kruse A, Badoux F, Grandl R, Wüst D (2012) Hydrothermal carbonization: 2. Kinetics of draff conversion. Chem Ing Tech 84:509–512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Ruyter HP (1982) Coalification model. Fuel 61:1182–1187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Zhang B, Huang H, Ramaswamy S (2008) Reaction kinetics of the hydrothermal treatment of lignin. Appl Biochem Bioethanol 147:119–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Funke A, Ziegler F (2010) Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass: a summary and discussion of chemical mechanisms for process engineering. Biofuel Bioprod Biorefin 4:60–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Baccile N, Laurent G, Babonneau F, Faylon F, Titirici MM, Antonietti M (2009) Structural characterization of hydrothermal carbon spheres by advanced solid-state MAS 13C NMR investigations. J Phys Chem 113:9644–9654

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Falco C, Caballero FP, Babonneau F, Gervais C, Laurent G, Titirici MM, Baccile N (2011) Hydrothermal carbon from biomass: structural differences between hydrothermal and pyrolyzed carbons via 13C solid state NMR. Langmuir 27:14460–14471

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Liu ZG, Quek A, Hoekman SK, Balasubramanian R (2013) Production of solid biochar fuel from waste biomass by hydrothermal carbonization. Fuel 103:943–949

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Nonaka M, Hirajima T, Sasaki K (2011) Upgrading of low rank coal and woody biomass mixture by hydrothermal treatment. Fuel 90:2578–2584

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Diakité M, Paul A, Jaeger C, Pielert J, Mumme J (2013) Chemical and morphological changes in hydrochars derived from microcrystalline cellulose and investigated by chromatographic, spectroscopic and adsorption techniques. Bioresour Technol 150:98–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Cao X, Ro KS, Libra J, Kammann C, Lima I, Berge N, Li L, Li Y, Chen N, Yang J, Deng B, Mao J (2013) Effects of biomass types and carbonization conditions on the chemical characteristics of hydrochars. J Agric Food Chem 61:9401–9411

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Gajic A, Ramke HG, Hendricks A, Koch HJ (2012) Microcosm study on the decomposability of hydrochars in a Cambisol. Biomass Bioenergy 47:250–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Wood BM, Jader LR, Schendel FJ, Hahn NJ, Valentas KJ, McNamara PJ, Novak PM, Heilmann SM (2013) Industrial symbiosis: corn ethanol fermentation, hydrothermal carbonization, and anaerobic digestion. Biotechnol Bioeng 110:2624–2632

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research is supported by funds from the Bioenergy 2021 program delegated from the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education to Project Management Juelich (PtJ). The corresponding author also acknowledges Western Sun Grant Initiatives (grant no: C0432G-C) for financial support. Additionally, the authors would like to thank E. Janiszewski, G. Rehde, A. Kohl, and O. Haase for their support in analytical tasks.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim e.V., Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469, Potsdam, Germany

    M. Toufiq Reza & Jan Mumme

  2. Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Nevada Reno, 1664 N. Virginia Street, Reno, 89557, NV, USA

    M. Toufiq Reza

  3. UK Biochar Center, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JN, UK

    Jan Mumme

  4. Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research, Geiselbergstrasse 69, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany

    Andreas Ebert

Authors
  1. M. Toufiq Reza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jan Mumme
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Andreas Ebert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Toufiq Reza.

Additional information

Highlights

•.Wheat straw digestate was hydrothermally carbonized at various conditions.

•.Elemental carbon and oxygen in digestate-derived hydrochar follow power law.

•.13C CP/MAS NMR can be applied for semi-quantitative characterization of hydrochar.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Reza, M.T., Mumme, J. & Ebert, A. Characterization of hydrochar obtained from hydrothermal carbonization of wheat straw digestate. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 5, 425–435 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-015-0163-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-015-0163-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation