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. 2015 Dec 23;9(1):3.
doi: 10.3390/ma9010003.

Biomass Pyrolysis Solids as Reducing Agents: Comparison with Commercial Reducing Agents

Aitziber Adrados  1 , Isabel De Marco  2 , Alexander López-Urionabarrenechea  3 , Jon Solar  4 , Blanca M Caballero  5 , Naia Gastelu  6
Affiliations

Biomass Pyrolysis Solids as Reducing Agents: Comparison with Commercial Reducing Agents

Aitziber Adrados et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

Biomass is one of the most suitable options to be used as renewable energy source due to its extensive availability and its contribution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass under appropriate conditions (slow heating rate and high temperatures) can produce a quality solid product, which could be applicable to several metallurgical processes as reducing agent (biocoke or bioreducer). Two woody biomass samples (olives and eucalyptus) were pyrolyzed to produce biocoke. These biocokes were characterized by means of proximate and ultimate analysis, real density, specific surface area, and porosity and were compared with three commercial reducing agents. Finally, reactivity tests were performed both with the biocokes and with the commercial reducing agents. Bioreducers have lower ash and sulfur contents than commercial reducers, higher surface area and porosity, and consequently, much higher reactivity. Bioreducers are not appropriate to be used as top burden in blast furnaces, but they can be used as fuel and reducing agent either tuyére injected at the lower part of the blast furnace or in non-ferrous metallurgical processes where no mechanical strength is needed as, for example, in rotary kilns.

Keywords: biocoke; biomass; bioreducer; slow pyrolysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Isabel De Marco and Alexander López-Urionabarrenechea conceived and designed the experiments; Aitziber Adrados, Jon Solar and Naia Gastelu performed the experiments; Aitziber Adrados, Isabel De Marco and Blanca M. Caballero analyzed the data; Alexander López-Urionabarrenechea and Jon Solar contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools; Aitziber Adrados and Isabel De Marco wrote the paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of temperature on CO2 adsorption isotherms of the bioreducers obtained at 20 °C·min−1 from olives and eucalyptus samples.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of temperature in pore size distribution of the bioreducers obtained at 20 °C·min−1 from olives and eucalyptus samples. (a) Olives (750 °C); (b) Olives (600 °C); (c) Eucalyptus (750 °C); (a) Eucalyptus (600 °C).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of heating rate on CO2 adsorption isotherms of the bioreducers obtained at 750 °C from the olives and eucalyptus samples.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of heating rate in pore size distribution of the bioreducers obtained at 750 °C from the olives and eucalyptus samples. (a) Olives 20 °C·min−1; (b) Olives 15 °C·min−1; (c) Olives 3 °C·min−1; (d) Eucalyptus 20 °C·min−1; (e) Eucalyptus 3 °C·min−1.
Figure 5
Figure 5
CO2 adsorption isotherms of commercial reducers and olives and eucalyptus bioreducers (obtained at 750 °C and 3 °C·min−1).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Pore size distribution of commercial reducers and olives and eucalyptus bioreducers (obtained at 750 °C and 3 °C·min−1). (a) Olives; (b) Metallurgical coke; (c) Eucalyptus; (d) Petroleum coke; (e) Anthracite.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Pore size distribution of commercial reducers and olives and eucalyptus bioreducers (obtained at 750 °C and 3 °C·min−1). (a) Olives; (b) Metallurgical coke; (c) Eucalyptus; (d) Petroleum coke; (e) Anthracite.
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