Influence of interactions between biomass components on physicochemical characteristics of char

To reveal the influence of interactions between biomass components on physicochemical characteristics of char, biomass components (cellulose, xylan, and lignin), component mixtures and real biomass (maple) were pyrolyzed in a fixed-bed reactor. The morphology, elements contents, crystallinity, porosity characteristics, and functional groups distribution of the solid chars were systematically analyzed. Comparisons of the experimental physicochemical characteristics with the predicted values reveal apparent interactions within the components in the formation of char. The mixture of xylan-lignin (X-L) showed the most significant interactions. Interactions resulted in lower yields and better porosity development for all chars. Chars from the mixtures of cellulose-xylan (C-X) and cellulose-lignin (C-L) showed higher crystallinity and less hydroxyl groups than predicted, while char from the mixture of X-L presented lower crystallinity and less C-O bonds than predicted. Maple exhibited stronger interactions than the synthesized ternary mixture. A possible mechanism of interactions between biomass components have been provided focusing on the formation of char.