The effects of a microwave heating method on the production of activated carbon from agricultural waste: A review

Published Date
Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis
March 2013, Vol.100:1–11, doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2012.12.019
Review

Author 

• Roozbeh Hoseinzadeh Hesas ^a,
 
• Wan Mohd Ashri Wan Daud ^a,,
 
• J.N. Sahu ^a,b,
 
• Arash Arami-Niya ^a,

• aDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
• bDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), P.O. Kharagpur Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India

Received 13 April 2012. Accepted 14 December 2012. Available online 24 December 2012. 

Abstract

A review of the effect of a microwave treatment on the production of activated carbon (AC) from agricultural waste is presented in this study. Although the thermal heating method is one of the most usual and applicable methods for the production of AC, this method has some disadvantages such as a thermal gradient from the surface to the interior of a particle, high cost of heating, long preparation time and fast firing. A microwave radiation method has been used recently by many researchers as an alternative method for heating. In this review, these two different methods of producing AC were compared. Previous studies on the preparation of AC using a microwave radiation method showed that the more significant parameters are the microwave radiation time, the microwave power level, the impregnation ratio and the agent flow rate. Accordingly, in this review, the effects of these parameters on the physical and chemical properties of AC, such as the pore structure, the adsorption capacity, the carbon yield and the surface functional groups, were discussed. In general, the physical properties of AC (adsorption capacity, pore volume and carbon yield) improved when these parameters were enhanced up to their optimum points, and then these properties decreased when these parameters were increased beyond their optimum values. The carbon/oxygen ratio was increased by the microwave method due to the elimination of acidic oxygen-containing functional groups on the surfaces of the ACs.

Highlights

► A comparison between microwave and thermal heating methods. ► Study the significant parameters in producing activated carbon (AC) by using microwave radiation. ► Study the effects of microwave-induced method on the properties of AC. ► Review the effects of the microwave-induced method on carbon yield.

Keywords

Activated carbon

Agricultural waste

Microwave heating

Pore structure

Functional groups

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author. Tel.: +60 3 79675297; fax: +60 3 79675319.

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The GHG contribution of the cascaded use of harvested wood products in comparison with the use of wood for energy—A case study on available forest resources in Canada

Published Date
Environmental Science & Policy
August 2013, Vol.31:96–108, doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2013.03.007

• Author 

• Richard Sikkema ^a,b,,,
• Martin Junginger ^a
• Paul McFarlane ^c
• André Faaij ^a

• aUtrecht University, Copernicus Institute, Heidelberglaan 2, NL-3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
• bControl Union Certifications, Zwolle, The Netherlands
• cUniversity of British Columbia, Department of Wood Science, Vancouver, Canada

Received 13 September 2012. Revised 18 March 2013. Accepted 20 March 2013. Available online 3 May 2013. 

Highlights

• Evaluation of new HWP accounting method leads to significant GHG emission reduction for Canada.
• •
  Use of harvested wood for energy and of construction lead to largest GHG savings.
• •
  A cascade-use for wood and paper products is paramount for further GHG improvement.
• •
  The end-of-life effect of using recycled waste wood for energy is delayed due to longer carbon uptake.
• •
  Cradle-to-cradle utilization of wood waste has an underdeveloped reduction potential.

Summary

Some Parties (Countries) to the UNFCCC decided to include the carbon uptake by harvested wood products (HWP) in a new general accounting framework after 2012 (post Kyoto). The analysis aims to make a comparison between the cascaded use of HWP and the use of wood for energy. We combine the new HWP framework with an assumed increased 50 million m³ harvest level in Canada and evaluate the impact of the GHG emissions over a 100-year period. Our reference case assumes all harvested wood is an immediate CO₂ emission (IPCC default) and no substitution effects, i.e. annual GHG emissions of 41 million tonnes CO_2eq. In our wood utilization scenario's, harvested trees are allocated (in varying shares) to three end-products: construction wood, paper products and pellets for power production. In comparison with our base case, a combination of fossil fuel substitution, material substitution and temporary carbon uptake by HWP leads to significant decreases in GHG emissions. All scenario's show annual GHG emission between 18 and 21 million tonnes CO_2eqexcept for triple use without recycling (at least 24 million tonnes CO_2eq). We conclude that GHG emissions of our scenarios are substantially lower than IPCC default. However, it is difficult to incorporate one single method to account for GHG uptake and emissions by HWP, due to end use efficiency and recycling options. Further GHG allocation over individual countries is not straightforward and needs further research.

Keywords

Canada

Managed forest

Harvested wood products

Cascade

Cradle-to-cradle utilization

Carbon footprint

Energy wood

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• *
  Corresponding author at: Utrecht University, Copernicus Institute, Heidelberglaan 2, NL-3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.

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Energy wood harvesting productivity of three harvesting methods in first thinning of scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)

Published Date
Biomass and Bioenergy
August 2011, Vol.35(8):3383–3388, doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2010.09.012
PROCEEDINGS OF A WORKSHOP OF IEA BIOENERGY TASK 31 ON ‘SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY SYSTEMS FOR BIOENERGY: INTEGRATION, INNOVATION AND INFORMATION’

• Author 

• Jani Lehtimäki
• Juha Nurmi ^,

• Finnish Forest Research Institute, Kannus Research Unit, Silmajarventie, Box 44, 69101 Kannus, Finland

Received 12 October 2009. Revised 21 September 2010. Accepted 24 September 2010. Available online 30 October 2010. 

Abstract

Energy wood harvesting in young forests presents an economical challenge and has been dependent on subsidies in Finland. Whole-tree harvesting systems have proved to be most productive when carrying out energy wood harvesting in cleanings and early thinnings in young forests. The application of integrated energy wood and pulpwood harvesting is less common.

It was hypothesized that multi-tree harvesting (MTH) with the OM-Waratah 745 single grip harvester head could change harvesting logistics and improve productivity for integrated energy wood and pulpwood thinnings. Two variations of MTH were compared with single-tree harvesting (STH). The logging methods studied were: (1) conventional single-tree harvesting with pulpwood and energy wood processed at the strip road; (2) multi-tree harvesting with pulpwood and energy wood processing along the strip road (MTH1); and (3) multi-tree harvesting at the stump where the aim was to leave the logging residues distributed evenly over the harvesting area and not on the strip roads (MTH2).

MTH methods were 28–35% more productive than the single-tree harvesting. The biggest differences in work stages were found in the felling and delimbing stages. In single-tree harvesting felling was 9–26% and delimbing 14–27% slower than in multi-tree harvesting.

MTH2 distributed 13% of residues further than 7 m from the strip road center. With STH and MTH1 only a good 1.2–1.7% was placed this far, and 74.4 and 62.0% respectively within 3 m.

Keywords

Whole-tree biomass

Logging residues

Bioenergy

Ground cover

GIS

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• ∗ 
  Corresponding author. Tel.: +358 102113419; fax: +358 102113401.

For further details log on website :
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