Optimization of Demineralization and Pyrolysis Performance of Eucalyptus Hydrothermal Pretreatment.

The preparation of bio-oil through biomass pyrolysis is promoted by different demineralization processes to remove alkali and alkaline earth metal elements (AAEMs). In this study, the hydrothermal pretreatment demineralization was optimized by the response surface method. The pretreatment temperature, time and pH were the response elements, and the total dissolution rates of potassium, calcium and magnesium were the response values. The interactions of response factors for AAEMs removal were analyzed. The interaction between temperature and time was significant. The optimal AAEMs removal process was obtained with a reaction temperature of 172.98 °C, time of 59.77 min, and pH of 3.01. The optimal dissolution rate of AAEMs was 47.59%. The thermal stability of eucalyptus with and without pretreatment was analyzed by TGA. The hydrothermal pretreatment samples exhibit higher thermostability. The composition and distribution of pyrolysis products of different samples were analyzed by Py-GC/MS. The results showed that the content of sugars and high-quality bio-oil (C6, C7, C8 and C9) were 60.74% and 80.99%, respectively, by hydrothermal pretreatment. These results show that the removal of AAEMs through hydrothermal pretreatment not only improves the yield of bio-oil, but also improves the quality of bio-oil and promotes an upgrade in the quality of bio-oil.

Preparation and Swelling Behaviors of High-Strength Hemicellulose-g-Polydopamine Composite Hydrogels.

Hemicellulose-based composite hydrogels were successfully prepared by adding polydopamine (PDA) microspheres as reinforcing agents. The effects of PDA microsphere size, dosage, and nitrogen content in hydrogel on the mechanical and rheological properties was studied. The compressive strength of hydrogel was increased from 0.11 to 0.30 MPa. The storage modulus G' was increased from 7.9 to 22.0 KPa. The gaps in the hemicellulose network are filled with PDA microspheres. There is also chemical cross-linking between them. These gaps increased the density of the hydrogel network structure. It also has good water retention and pH sensitivity. The maximum cumulative release rate of methylene blue was 62.82%. The results showed that the release behavior of hydrogel was pH-responsive, which was beneficial to realizing targeted and controlling drug release.

Improving moisture barrier properties of paper sheets by cellulose stearoyl ester-based coatings.

As commonly-used packaging material, paper has very poor moisture barrier properties, which are essential for maintaining physical and mechanical performance of paper as well as the shelf life of the packed goods. Herein, solutions of the synthesized cellulose stearoyl ester (CSE) compound were coated onto the calendered paper sheets by bar coater with the coating grammage ranging from 0.5-23.6 g m-2. When the coating grammage was 5.2 g m-2, the paper surface was totally covered by the CSE film with very low surface roughness (2.327 nm). The resulting CSE-coated papers from this coating grammage showed decreased tensile index and increased elongation at break, indicating the flexibility of the coated papers. Furthermore, the coated paper sheets were hydrophobic and displayed competitive water vapor barrier properties with the barrier ratio up to 90 %. Thereby, the designed CSE-coated paper sheets are promising for moisture barrier packaging application.

Effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on the demineralization and thermal degradation behavior of eucalyptus.

Effective removal of alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEM) is of great significance for promoting biomass pyrolysis. In this study, demineralization via hydrothermal pretreatment was performed, and the effect on the pyrolysis behavior was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and thermal pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The effects of reaction temperature, time, and pH on the dissolution rate of K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ were investigated. The optimal total dissolution rate of the metal elements was 42.10%. Compared with acid leaching, hydrothermal pretreatment allowed a higher crystallinity index. It significantly changed the pyrolysis behavior. The relative content of sugar in pyrolysis products was as high as 58%. The chemical compound distribution was concentrated in the range between C6 and C9, which was conducive for the refinement of gasoline by upgrading. This means that hydrothermal pretreatment has efficient demineralization, which promoted the thermal degradation behavior of biomass.

Effect of lignin structure on adsorbable organic halogens formation in chlorine dioxide bleaching.

Adsorbable organic halogens (AOX) are formed in pulp bleaching as a result of the reaction of residual lignin with chlorine dioxide. The natural structure of lignin is very complex and it tends to be damaged by various extraction methods. All the factors can affect the study about the mechanism of AOX formation in the reaction of lignin with chlorine dioxide. Lignin model compounds, with certain structures, can be used to study the role of different lignin structures on AOX formation. The effect of lignin structure on AOX formation was determined by reacting phenolic and non-phenolic lignin model compound with a chlorine dioxide solution. Vanillyl alcohol (VA) and veratryl alcohol (VE) were selected for the phenolic and non-phenolic lignin model compound, respectively. The pattern consumption of lignin model compounds suggests that both VA and VE began reacting with chlorine dioxide within 10 min and then gradually steadied. The volume of AOX produced by VE was significantly higher than that produced by VA for a given initial lignin model compound concentration. In a solution containing a combination of VA and VE in chlorine dioxide, VE was the dominant producer of AOX. This result indicates that the non-phenolic lignin structure was more easily chlorinated, while the phenolic lignin structure was mainly oxidized. In addition, AOX content produced in the combined experiments exceeded the total content of the two separate experiments. It suggested that the combination of phenolic and non-phenolic lignin structure can promote AOX formation.

Difference in adsorbable organic halogen formation between phenolic and non-phenolic lignin model compounds in chlorine dioxide bleaching.

Adsorbable organic halogen (AOX) is generally formed by the reaction of residual lignin in pulps with chlorine dioxide during bleaching. Lignin has a complex structure. Different functional groups and bonds are present in lignin structures. Phenolic hydroxyl is one of the important functional groups in lignin, and it significantly influences the chemical properties and reactivity. To study the effect of phenolic hydroxyl on AOX formation, vanillyl alcohol (VA) was selected as the phenolic lignin model compound, and veratryl alcohol (VE) was selected as the non-phenolic lignin model compound in this study. The kinetics of AOX formation by the reaction of VA or VE with chlorine dioxide was studied. The effects of pH, chlorine dioxide, lignin model compound concentration and reaction temperature on AOX formation are discussed. The activation energies of the reaction of VA and VE with chlorine dioxide are 16 242.47 J mol-1 and 281.34 J mol-1, respectively. Thus, we found that the non-phenolic lignin can react with chlorine dioxide to form AOX more easily than phenolic lignin.