Liquefaction processes and characterization of liquefied products from waste woody materials in different acidic catalysts

Abstract

The liquefaction process is one of the promising techniques for effective utilization of woody biomass, for the lignocelluloses can be converted to liquid reactive material, as eco-polymeric materials. Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria Japonica), as an abundant waste softwood material, was selected and used in our wood liquefaction experiment. In order to investigate the basic characteristics and potentially harmful metal contents, the composition and metal elements of waste woody samples had been determined, and based on the methods of Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) and by an ICP-AES, separately. Then the waste woody samples were liquefied by a phenol wood liquefaction according to the orthogonal test L 9 (3 4 ), in order to obtain relatively less residue by different reaction conditions. It is thought that sulfuric acid plays an important role in retarding the condensation reaction during the acid-catalyzed phenol liquefaction because of the dehydration, and it can be summarized that the most influential factors of the wood liquefaction conditions were obtained within the setting ranges on four factors and three levels by using the orthogonal tests. In the acidic catalyst comparison experiment, as a result, when using concentrated sulfuric acid as the strong acidic catalyst, the minimum of residual content had reached 9.71%. According to these experimental results, the new liquefied samples demonstrated the relationships between some characteristics of liquefied products from waste woody materials through analyses of Japanese phenolic resin industry testing series such as viscosity, nonvolatility and so on. The results showed that whether the viscosity or novolatility the greatest changed of the liquefied materials had taken place in reaction time during the 6 hours. In addition, in order to find some structural changes and to clarify the mechanism of respective products, the analysis by combined phenol and free phenol was carried out in our further studies.

Decayed Woody Material From Mushroom Cultivation: Characterization of Liquefaction

“…In a 500 mL three-neck reaction flask equipped with a stirrer and a reflux condenser [5], we measured 10 g of the woody samples and 60 g of the mixed solution (glycerine: polyethylene glycol = 1:9) and mixed. Then, the reaction flask was immersed in a preheated oil bath at three different temperatures: 120°C, 130°C, and 140°C.…”

“…When the woody powder is heated, mixing it with an organic solvent in the presence of an acid catalyst produces a black viscous liquid material. This material is called liquefied wood; and, with the addition of chemical reagents, can be made to form a resin [3]- [5].…”