Nordic Environmental Chemistry Conference, Kakskerta,Turku, 4-7 June, 2012

Chemical Physical Properties

of Bio-coal
Defining the thermal regime known as torrefaction
David Agar1
Margareta Wihersaari2

1 Department of Chemistry
2 Department of Biological and Environmental Science

University of Jyväskylä
Presentation Outline
 Introduction
 What is Bio-coal?
 Why Bio-coal?
 Torrefaction
 Process overview
 The torrefaction regime
 Solid fuel properties of torrefied wood
 Torrefaction versus carbonisation
 Bio-coal production
 Active players in Europe
 Three key properties of bio-coal from experiment data
 Conclusions
What is Bio-coal?
 Solid fuel made from biomass (renewable)
 Fossil coal substitute
 High heating value (MJ/kg, compared to untreated biomass)
 High bulk energy density (MJ/m3)
 Handling properties like fossil coal (easy to grind)
 Fuel for coal-fired power plants (large-scale production)

Bio-coal as briquette Bio-coal as pellets

 What Bio-coal is NOT
 Not (grilling) charcoal
 Not bio-char (soil additive)
 Not bio-carbon (high-end technical carbon product)
 Note: Especially confusing in Finnish

Bio-coal
Bio-char Biohiili
Bio-carbon

The Finnish language may have many different words for snow but this is not the case for high-carbon products 
Why Bio-coal?
 EU Climate & Energy Package
 Reduce GHG emissions by 2020
 Secure inland energy sources (inland biomass)

 Untreated biomass not feasible (i.e. wood pellets)

 Enabling technology: co-combustion using bio-coal would be

a fast method of cutting CO2 emissions significantly
because…
Coal-fire power plants (black dots)

Helsingin Sanomat 28.10.2010

Torrefaction (roasting or incomplete pyrolysis)
at the heart of bio-coal production
Energy 0.1
Mass 0.3
Torrefaction gases

Torrefaction
Raw T = 220-300 C Torrefied
Biomass (inert Biomass

Energy 1.0 atmosphere) Energy 0.9

Mass 1.0 Mass 0.7
Heating value increase = 0.9/0.7 = 1.29
29% increase
 The Composition of Woody Biomass
Component Chemical Formula Hardwood Softwood
mass (%) mass (%)
Cellulose (C6H10O5)n 43 43
Hemicellulose (C5H8O4)n 34 28
Lignin [(C9H10O3)(CH3O)0.9-1.7]n 23 29
 Rate of thermal degradation of the
three components of woody biomass
cellulose

Torrefaction
Regime
220-300 C

Yang H et al., Characteristics of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin pyrolysis, Fuel 2007
 Volatile matter and fixed carbon
content of fuels
100 35
Volatile matter (%)
90
Fixed carbon (%)
80 30
70

higher heating value (MJ/kg)

Ash content (%)
composition (%)

60 25
Higher heating value
50 (MJ/kg)
40 20
30
20 15
10
0 10
wood sod peat torrefied wood coal wood charcoal

Pine wood (T = 285 C, t = ?) Typical Polish coal

Bourgeois & Doat (1984) used in Finland
 Elemental compositional changes

Composition of beech wood and torrefeed beech wood (T= 220-280C) in van Kravelen diagram
Prins et al. More efficient biomass gasification via torrefaction (2006)
 Torrefaction versus carbonisation
Heating value, as
received
= 10 MJ
Mass balance – 1 kg of wood
1000

900

800 Limit of pelletisation

Pelletointiraja (ligniini ei riittää)
tuhka
700
(lignin decomposition)
600 N

g 500 O
9 MJ
400 H

300 C
6 MJ
200 H20

100

Wood hake
chips torrefioitu
Torrefied puu
wood Woodpuuhiili
charcoal

Extent of pyrolysis
Bio-coal production is an optimisation
problem

Minimise Maximise

Reaction time Raw material particle size

Reactor size Ability to pelletise/briquette
Process complexity Heat transfer
Investment expenses Use of torrefaction gas
Grindability of product
Bio-coal versus conventional wood pellets

Wood pellets

∆E = 10%

Bio-coal
Torrefaction technology developers in
Europe

Kiel J,Torrefaction for upgrading biomass into

commodity fuel, 2011.
 Are the expectations of bio-coal
realistic = based on scientific findings?
Key Property Popular Claim Experimental Data*

Mass/Energy Balance 70/90% 61-82/73-92%

29% heating value increase 7-21% (woody)
7-15% (agro)
Grindability Same as fossil coal Improved, grinding energy
7-36 kWh/t reduced 68-89% (reactivity?)
52-150 kWh/t
Equilibrium Moisture Hydrophobic or 3-6% max. 2.2% (RH 11.3%)
Content (ECM) 8.7% (RH 83.6%)
Measured at 30 degrees C

*Experimental data from peer-reviewed scientific journal publications.

Agar D, Wihersaari M. Bio-coal, torrefied lignocellulosic resources – key properties for its use in co-firing
with fossil coal – their status, Biomass & Bioenergy (2012).
 Conclusions
 Bio-coal is a fossil coal substitute for coal-fired power plants
 Potential to cut CO2 emissions significantly from energy sector
 Torrefaction is a distinct thermal regime in which mostly
hemicellulose undergoes degradation (220-300 C)
 Bio-coal production is an optimisation problem and is not trivial
 Three key properties of bio-coal are available from recent peer-
reviewed literature for modelling of economics and GHG-
emission balance.
Nordic Environmental Chemistry Conference, Kakskerta,Turku, 4-7 June, 2012

Thank You
For your attention

David Agar1
Margareta Wihersaari2

1 Department of Chemistry
2 Department of Biological and Environmental Science

University of Jyväskylä