title: Effect of carbon dioxide on the thermal degradation of lignocellulosic biomass.
abstract: Using biomass as a renewable energy source via currently available thermochemical processes (i.e., pyrolysis and gasification) is environmentally advantageous owing to its intrinsic carbon neutrality. Developing methodologies to enhance the thermal efficiency of these proven technologies is therefore imperative. This study aimed to investigate the use of CO2 as a reaction medium to increase not only thermal efficiency but also environmental benefit. The influence of CO2 on thermochemical processes at a fundamental level was experimentally validated with the main constituents of biomass (i.e., cellulose and xylan) to avoid complexities arising from the heterogeneous matrix of biomass. For instance, gaseous products including H2, CH4, and CO were substantially enhanced in the presence of CO2 because CO2 expedited thermal cracking behavior (i.e., 200-1000%). This behavior was then universally observed in our case study with real biomass (i.e., corn stover) during pyrolysis and steam gasification. However, further study is urgently needed to optimize these experimental findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University , Seoul 143-747, South Korea.
authors.forename: Eilhann E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Eui-Chan
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Marco J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Castaldi
authors.forename: Young Jae
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Jeon
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D018515:Plant Leaves; D018547:Plant Stems; D059205:Renewable Energy; D013227:Steam; D014990:Xylans / Q000737:chemistry*; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D013227:Steam; D014990:Xylans; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002482:Cellulose