Voltage-Enhanced Processing of Biomass and Biochar

Gerardo Diaz, PhD, is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Sustainable Plasma Gasification Lab at the University of California at Merced. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2000.

• Contributors xiPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xvAcronyms xviiIntroduction xix1 Carbonaceous Material Characterization 11.1 Material Characterization 21.1.1 Thermophysical properties 31.1.2 Moisture Content 31.1.3 Ultimate and Proximate analysis 41.1.4 Dielectric and electrical properties 41.2 Biomass 61.3 Biochar 71.3.1 Surface area, cation exchange capacity, and pH 91.4 Activated carbon 111.5 Pyrolytic graphite 11Bibliography 122 Conventional Processing Methods 212.1 Biomass Processing 222.1.1 Biomass Pyrolysis 232.1.2 Biomass Gasification 262.2 Biochar production and post processing 282.2.1 Biochar Activation 34Bibliography 443 Introduction to Plasmas 493.1 Thermal Plasmas 503.1.1 Mathematical model 533.2 Non-thermal Plasmas 563.2.1 DC non-thermal electrical discharges 593.2.2 Dielectric barrier discharge 643.2.3 Pulsed discharges 653.2.4 Gliding arc 663.2.5 Microwave-induced discharges 673.3 Impedance matching 683.4 Discharges in liquids 713.4.1 Contact glow discharge electrolysis 723.4.2 Plasma electrolysis with AC power 763.4.3 Gliding arc in glycerol for hydrogen generation 77Bibliography 784 Voltage-Enhanced Processing of Biomass 854.1 Biomass gasification with thermal plasma 864.1.1 Plasma parameters 874.1.2 Syngas composition 884.1.3 Energy balance 924.1.4 Temperature decay in plasma/biomass discharge 954.2 Dielectric breakdown of biomass 974.2.1 Biomass-in-the-loop 984.3 Biomass gasification with non-thermal plasma 994.3.1 Tar breakdown 1004.3.2 Circuit configuration 1044.3.3 Scaling up of the technology 107Bibliography 1075 Voltage-Enhanced Processing of Biochar 1135.1 DC Power Applied to Biochar 1145.1.1 Joule heating of biochar 1145.1.2 Joule heating of activated carbon 1185.1.3 Recent Trends in Mathematical modelling 1505.2 Physical activation of biochar with non-thermal plasma 1595.2.1 Plasma-steam activation 160Bibliography 1626 Numerical simulations 1676.1 Background 1676.2 Modeling approaches 1686.2.1 Kinetic approach 1696.2.2 Fluid model approach 1726.3 Examples of non-thermal plasma modeling 1756.3.1 Cathode fall of a DC glow discharge 1766.3.2 RF plasma discharge 1796.3.3 Plasma chemistry 185Bibliography 1917 Control of plasma systems 1957.1 Control of thermal plasma torches 1967.1.1 Dynamics 1987.1.2 Control 2017.2 Control of nonthermal plasma discharges 2077.2.1 Plasma diagnostics 2087.2.2 AI-based control 209Bibliography 214