Preliminary Studies on the Electrochemical Conversion of Liquefied Forest Biomass
Bio-oils produced from three different biomass sources, namely cork, pinewood, and olive stones, are evaluated concerning their suitability and prospects of including their electrochemical transformations in a biorefinery scenario for the production of added-value compounds. Different types and conc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-781X/3/4/37 |
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| author | Tiago Silva José Condeço Diogo M. F. Santos |
| author_facet | Tiago Silva José Condeço Diogo M. F. Santos |
| author_sort | Tiago Silva |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bio-oils produced from three different biomass sources, namely cork, pinewood, and olive stones, are evaluated concerning their suitability and prospects of including their electrochemical transformations in a biorefinery scenario for the production of added-value compounds. Different types and concentrations of electrolytes (e.g., H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>, KOH) are added to the bio-oils to increase the samples’ initially low ionic conductivity. The samples prepared by mixing bio-oil with 2 M KOH aqueous solution (50 vol.%) lead to a stable and homogeneous bio-oil alkaline emulsion suitable for electrochemical studies. The bio-oil samples are characterized by physicochemical methods (e.g., density, viscosity, conductivity), followed by analyzing their electrochemical behavior by voltammetric and chronoamperometric studies. The organics electrooxidation and the hydrogen evolution reaction in the bio-oils are assessed using Pt electrodes. Single- and two-compartment cell laboratory bio-oil electrolyzers are assembled using nickel plate electrodes. Electrolysis is carried out at 2.5 V for 24 h. Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry are applied to identify possible changes in the bio-oil samples’ chemical structure during the electrolysis experiments. Comparing the analyses of the bio-oil samples subjected to electrolysis with the blank samples demonstrates that bulk electrolysis significantly changes the bio-oil composition. The bio-oil obtained from cork biomass shows the most promising results, but further studies are required to understand the nature of the actual changes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:54:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1d59a9add0e44158966030f75422ae33 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-781X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:54:12Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Reactions |
| spelling | doaj.art-1d59a9add0e44158966030f75422ae332023-11-24T17:43:32ZengMDPI AGReactions2624-781X2022-10-013455357510.3390/reactions3040037Preliminary Studies on the Electrochemical Conversion of Liquefied Forest BiomassTiago Silva0José Condeço1Diogo M. F. Santos2Center of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalCenter for Natural Resources and the Environment (CERENA), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalCenter of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA), Chemical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalBio-oils produced from three different biomass sources, namely cork, pinewood, and olive stones, are evaluated concerning their suitability and prospects of including their electrochemical transformations in a biorefinery scenario for the production of added-value compounds. Different types and concentrations of electrolytes (e.g., H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>, KOH) are added to the bio-oils to increase the samples’ initially low ionic conductivity. The samples prepared by mixing bio-oil with 2 M KOH aqueous solution (50 vol.%) lead to a stable and homogeneous bio-oil alkaline emulsion suitable for electrochemical studies. The bio-oil samples are characterized by physicochemical methods (e.g., density, viscosity, conductivity), followed by analyzing their electrochemical behavior by voltammetric and chronoamperometric studies. The organics electrooxidation and the hydrogen evolution reaction in the bio-oils are assessed using Pt electrodes. Single- and two-compartment cell laboratory bio-oil electrolyzers are assembled using nickel plate electrodes. Electrolysis is carried out at 2.5 V for 24 h. Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry are applied to identify possible changes in the bio-oil samples’ chemical structure during the electrolysis experiments. Comparing the analyses of the bio-oil samples subjected to electrolysis with the blank samples demonstrates that bulk electrolysis significantly changes the bio-oil composition. The bio-oil obtained from cork biomass shows the most promising results, but further studies are required to understand the nature of the actual changes.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-781X/3/4/37biomass liquefactionsolvolysisbio-oil electrolysiscorkpinewoodolive stones |
| spellingShingle | Tiago Silva José Condeço Diogo M. F. Santos Preliminary Studies on the Electrochemical Conversion of Liquefied Forest Biomass Reactions biomass liquefaction solvolysis bio-oil electrolysis cork pinewood olive stones |
| title | Preliminary Studies on the Electrochemical Conversion of Liquefied Forest Biomass |
| title_full | Preliminary Studies on the Electrochemical Conversion of Liquefied Forest Biomass |
| title_fullStr | Preliminary Studies on the Electrochemical Conversion of Liquefied Forest Biomass |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preliminary Studies on the Electrochemical Conversion of Liquefied Forest Biomass |
| title_short | Preliminary Studies on the Electrochemical Conversion of Liquefied Forest Biomass |
| title_sort | preliminary studies on the electrochemical conversion of liquefied forest biomass |
| topic | biomass liquefaction solvolysis bio-oil electrolysis cork pinewood olive stones |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-781X/3/4/37 |
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