V. Amar, K. Huynh, B. Maddipudi, K. Shell, J. Houck, A. Thakkar, R.B. Gupta, S. Kumar, S. Hernandez, A. Shende, and R. Shende
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology,
United States
Keywords: lignocellulosic biomass (LCB), Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL), bio-oil, biochar, voltammetry, supercapacitor
Summary:
Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) with higher lignin content was hydrothermally liquefied at high temperature and pressure conditions of 275 deg. C and 1200 psi, respectively. Following the HTL reaction in CO2 or N2 environment, the aqueous biocrude was separated from char and analyzed for different compounds such as alcohols, esters, ethers, ketones, and carboxylic acids using HPLC and GCMS. Liquefaction yield was determined using the total dissolved organic carbon (TOC) in the biocrude. The bio-oils were extracted and characterized for higher heating value (HHV) using elemental analysis. The residual solid char was further subjected to an acid activation treatment followed by annealing at different temperatures of 400-1000 deg.C. These char samples were characterized by BET and SEM/EDX, and used as electrode materials for the charge storage application. Cyclic voltammetry was performed to determine the specific capacitance.