Professional Documents
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zimen
*
, Ays egu l Ersoy-Meriboyu
Istanbul Technical University, ChemicalMetallurgical Engineering Faculty, Department of Chemical Engineering, Maslak 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
a r t i c l e i n f o
Article history:
Received 31 March 2009
Accepted 10 November 2009
Available online 22 December 2009
Keywords:
Biochar
Bio-oil
Apricot stone
Hazelnut shell
Grapeseed
Chestnut shell
a b s t r a c t
Apricot stone, hazelnut shell, grapeseed and chestnut shell are important biomass residues obtained
from the food processing industry in Turkey and they have a great importance as being a source of
energy. In this study, the characteristics of bio-oil and biochar samples obtained from the carbonization
of apricot stone, hazelnut shell, grapeseed and chestnut shell were investigated. It was found that the
biochar products can be characterized as carbon rich, high heating value and relatively pollution-free
potential solid biofuels. The bio-oil products were also presented as environmentally friendly green
biofuel candidates.
2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Renewable energy is a kind of energy produced from any source
that can be maintained in a constant supply over time. The most
important renewable energy sources can be classied as solar,
wind, hydro, geothermal, wave and biomass. Among these sources
the biomass is considered as an important one since it could be
suitable alternative for conventional fossil fuels.
Unlike solar, wind and hydroelectric systems, modern biomass
energy systems could be set up in virtually any location where
plants can be grown or domestic animals are reared. This is one of
the most important properties of the biomass energy in which it
differs from other renewable energy systems and it offers an
opportunity for sustainable energy. Among renewable energy
sources, biomass is the only energy source that can be used without
any energy storage systems. Using biomass can help reduce global
warming compared to a fossil fuel-powered plant. Plants use and
store CO
2
when they grow. CO
2
stored in the plant is released when
the plant material is burned or decays. By replanting the crops, the
newplants can use the CO
2
produced by the burned plants. So using
biomass and replanting helps close the carbon dioxide cycle.
However, if the crops are not replanted, then biomass can emit
carbon dioxide that will contribute toward global warming [1].
Biomass resources include various natural and derived mate-
rials, such as woody and herbaceous species, wood wastes, energy
crops, bagasse, agricultural and industrial residues, waste paper,
municipal solid waste, sawdust, biosolids, grass, waste from food
processing, animal wastes, aquatic plants and algae etc. [2].
Biomass sources can generally be dened as any carbohydrate
material which mainly consists of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and
nitrogen. Some biomass types also carry signicant proportions of
inorganic species. The concentration of the ash arising from these
inorganics changes from less than 1% in softwoods to 15% in
herbaceous biomass and agricultural residues [2]. The chemical
structure and major organic components in biomass are extremely
important in the development of processes for producing derived
fuels and chemicals. The major organic components of biomass can
be classied as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin [3].
Turkey has a rich agricultural biomass potential. Various agri-
cultural residues are available. One of the main important biomass
sources in Turkey is food processing industry wastes. Apricot stone,
hazelnut shell, grapeseed and chestnut shell are important biomass
residues obtained in Turkey and they have a great importance as
being a source of energy and they mostly are used to produce
energy for domestic purposes by direct combustion. Since this type
of usage is not economical, these biomass sources must be con-
verted into more useful forms by using different conversion
technologies.
In this study, the characteristics of biochar and bio-oil samples
acquired by carbonization of apricot stone, hazelnut shell,
* Corresponding author. Tel./fax: 90 212 518 3565.
E-mail address: didem.ozcimen@gmail.com (D. O
zimen).
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Renewable Energy
j ournal homepage: www. el sevi er. com/ l ocat e/ renene
0960-1481/$ see front matter 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.renene.2009.11.042
Renewable Energy 35 (2010) 13191324
grapeseed and chestnut shell were identied to evaluate the
feasibility of using them as alternative to conventional fossil fuels.
2. Experimental section
2.1. Materials
In the experimental study, the apricot stone (Prunus armeniaca)
obtained from Malatya located in the east anatolian region of
Turkey, the hazelnut shell (Corylus avellana) obtained from Giresun
located in the Black Sea region of Turkey, the grapeseed (Vitris
vinifera) obtained from a vine factory located in the middle
Anatolian region of Turkey and the chestnut shell (Castanea sativa
Mill) obtained froma chestnut candy factory in Bursa located in the
Marmara region of Turkey were used as biomass samples. All
biomass samples were initially ground and sieved to obtain the
particle size of 11.4 mm for apricot stone and hazelnut shell and
the average particle diameters of 0.657 mm and 0.377 mm, for
grapeseed and chestnut shell, respectively. After sieving air-dried
samples were kept in glass jars and used as necessary.
2.2. Carbonization of biomass samples
The carbonization experiments were performed in a Jenkner
type retort which is a cylindrical stainless steel xed bed reactor
with a length of 270 mm and an inner diameter of 130 mm. The
reactor was heated externally by an isolated electrical furnace
where temperature was measured by a NiCrNi thermocouple
inside the bed. During the carbonization the inner and outer
temperatures of the reactor were controlled continuously. Before
heating, the system was ushed with dry nitrogen for 30 min to
remove all traces of oxygen. After carbonization at nal tempera-
ture value, which lasted 30 min, the nal weight of samples was
determined to calculate the biochar and bio-oil yields.
In this study, the samples obtained at the carbonization condi-
tions, where the maximum biochar and bio-oil yields were
obtained were took into consideration for characterization. These
conditions as reported previously [46] for different biomass
samples were summarized in Table 1.
The maximum biochar yields for the conditions given in Table 1
were found as 34.65%, 51.53%, 52.98% and 58.80% for apricot stone,
hazelnut shell, grapeseed and chestnut shell samples, respectively.
The maximum bio-oil yields, on the other hand, were determined
for those conditions as 35.82%, 41.95%, 49.11% and 36.11% for apricot
stone, hazelnut shell, grapeseed and chestnut shell samples,
respectively.
2.3. Characterization of biomass, biochar and bio-oil samples
Characterization of original biomass, produced biochar and bio-
oil samples was performed by using various analysis methods. The
caloric values of samples were measured by the ASTM bomb
calorimeter method [7] using a IKA Calorimeter C 7000 model
instrument. The proximate analysis of biomass and biochar
samples was also done according to ASTM standards [810].
Physical properties of biomass and biochar samples such as
porosity, total pore volume and surface area were measured by
using an Quantachrome Autoscan-33 mercury intrusion poros-
imeter and Quantachrome NOVA 1200 model surface areameter.
SEM micrographs of biomass and biochar samples were taken by
using a Jeol Model JSMdT330 Scaning Electrone Microscope which
is operated at 20 kV. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectro-
scopic analysis of all samples was performed using a PerkinElmer
Spectrum 1 model instrument. The GCMS analysis of the bio-oil
samples was carried out using a Clarus 500 GC instrument
(PerkinElmer) coupled to a Clarus 500 MS system (PerkinElmer).
Apolar capillary column (i.d.-BP
*
5, length:30 m, diameter:
0.25 mm) was used as MS column.
Table 1
The carbonization conditions where the maximum biochar and bio-oil yields were obtained for different biomass samples.
Carbonization conditions Biochar Bio-oil
Apricot stone Hazelnut shell Grapeseed Chestnut shell Apricot stone Hazelnut shell Grapeseed Chestnut shell
Heating rate (K/min) 5 5 5 5 20 20 20 20
Sweep gas owrate (cm
3
/min) 0 0 0 0 1000 1000 1000 1000
Temperature (K) 823 750 750 750 823 823 823 823
Particle diameter (mm) 11.4 11.4 0.657 0.377 0.2500.355 0.2500.355 0.657 0.377
Table 2
The gross caloric values of biomass, biochar and bio-oil samples.
Material Gross caloric value (MJ/kg)
Apricot stone 19.28
Hazelnut shell 18.33
Grapeseed 20.51
Chestnut shell 15.49
Apricot stone biochar 30.76
Hazelnut shell biochar 29.08
Grapeseed biochar 26.73
Chestnut shell biochar 25.86
Apricot stone bio-oil 22.72
Hazelnut shell bio-oil 26.79
Grapeseed bio-oil 29.76
Chestnut shell bio-oil 26.72
Table 3
The proximate analysis results of biomass and biochar samples (dry base).
Material Volatile matter (%) Fixed carbon (%) Ash (%)
Apricot stone 77.12 21.47 1.41
Hazelnut shell 71.67 26.51 1.83
Grapeseed 70.53 21.98 7.49
Chestnut shell 69.74 28.67 1.59
Apricot stone biochar 19.83 71.70 8.47
Hazelnut shell biochar 30.26 63.16 6.58
Grapeseed biochar 39.45 50.96 9.59
Chestnut shell biochar 34.32 60.32 5.36
Table 4
The physical properties of biomass and biochar samples.
Material Porosity (%) Total pore volume
(ml/g)
BET surface area
(m
2
/g)
Apricot stone 0.0241 0.0303 10.5299
Hazelnut shell 0.0463 0.0434 5.8421
Grapeseed 0.0630 0.0756 10.5881
Chestnut shell 0.2764 0.3281 7.0103
Apricot stone biochar 0.1309 0.1847 11.2474
Hazelnut shell biochar 0.1130 0.1250 14.6836
Grapeseed biochar 0.1316 0.1643 14.4770
Chestnut shell biochar 0.1702 0.1842 0.6717
D. O