IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v262y2026ics0960148126001771.html

Effects of torrefaction pretreatment on the physicochemical properties of biomass and subsequent pyrolysis products

Author

Listed:
  • Xu, Nan
  • Wang, Zhiwei
  • Chen, Gaofeng
  • Li, Zaifeng
  • Lei, Tingzhou
  • Gupta, Ashwani K.

Abstract

Biomass pyrolysis is a promising pathway for renewable fuel and chemical production. Biomass's inherent high oxygen content, volatility, and low energy density impacts its efficiency. This study investigates the effects of torrefaction pretreatment on the physicochemical properties and pyrolysis product distribution of pine wood. Torrefaction was conducted at 240, 260, and 280 °C for 20, 40, and 60 min. Results showed that higher torrefaction temperatures and extended residence times synergistically improved biomass fuel characteristics. At 280 °C for 60 min, the amount of fixed carbon increased to 37.79%, HHV rose from 18.19 to 23.68 MJ/kg, and volatile matter decreased by 18.93%. Elemental analysis revealed significant reductions in hydrogen and oxygen contents, while ash content increased by 0.85% from devolatilization. Longer torrefaction durations further promoted carbonization and hydrophobicity, although their impact was less significant than that of temperature. Pyrolysis analysis using Py-GC/MS showed that the amounts of phenolic compound increased by 13.56%, while oxygenated by-products (phenolic, aldehydes and ketones) decreased by 24.42% at 280 °C. Additionally, levoglucosan yield increased by 23.93% at 260 °C, indicating improved selective formation of dehydrated sugars. The results indicated that torrefaction can effectively improve biomass properties and tailor pyrolysis products for improved performance in energy and chemical applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Xu, Nan & Wang, Zhiwei & Chen, Gaofeng & Li, Zaifeng & Lei, Tingzhou & Gupta, Ashwani K., 2026. "Effects of torrefaction pretreatment on the physicochemical properties of biomass and subsequent pyrolysis products," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:262:y:2026:i:c:s0960148126001771
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2026.125352
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148126001771
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2026.125352?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:262:y:2026:i:c:s0960148126001771. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.