HYDROTHERMAL CARBONIZATION: PRODUCTION OF ENERGY THROUGH THE THERMOCHEMICAL TREATMENT OF BIOMASS

摘要

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) ischaracterized by simplicity and relatively lowreaction temperature and pressure (subcritical waterconditions). It is also capable of processing organicmaterial with high moisture content. The combinationof the above justifies the growing interest around thisspecific pre-treatment method of biomass. However,the properties of hydrochar, the main product ofHTC, are significantly affected by the processconditions (temperature, residence time, water-tobiomassratio, feedstock composition etc.). Inaddition, the exact reaction mechanism is currentlypartially understood. That is the reason why only thehydrothermal carbonization of specific types ofbiomass under distinct conditions has beeninvestigated. The purpose of this paper is to highlightthe advantages of hydrothermal carbonization,describe the general reaction mechanism and examinethe dependence of the products to the processparameters. Representative cases of reaction kineticsmodeling based on experimental data were selectedfor demonstration. The paper concludes with anoverall evaluation along with suggestions to improvethe efficiency of the process.