I-Corps: Pyrolysis of Woody Biomass for Advanced Products

North Dakota State University Fargo, Fargo ND

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is wide spread, impacting many market sectors. Torrefied/carbonized agricultural waste, as a platform technology, has many commercial applications ranging from water filtration and environmental remediation to advanced biocomposites. Each year agricultural waste, that has little to no nutritional value, is tilled under or burned in open-fields to dispose of waste vegetation before the next growing season. The burning of agricultural waste can add nutrients back into the nutrient depleted soil after a long growing season however this practice creates undesirable pollution. Through the use of microwave heated on-site torrefaction (a thermal process that converts the biomass into a coal-like substance having better fuel characteristics than the original biomass), the once unwanted waste can be used in value-added applications such as soil remediation, water filtration, and advanced biocomposites while alleviating the pollution created from open-field burning. Any of the unused torrefied biomass at the torrefaction site can be sold for profit with lower shipping costs than untreated biomass due to the densification that occurs during the torrefaction. If brought to commercialization this technology would have a broad impact on the agricultural, construction, automotive, and plastics markets, while alleviating pollution due to open field burning of agricultural waste and bring increased utilization of biomass that helps emerging biomass suppliers enter new markets. This I-Corps project is looking at the commercialization of on-site or integrated torrefaction of agricultural waste using microwave energy for use in environmental remediation, soil amendment, and advanced biocomposite applications. Torrefaction is a process similar to the roasting of coffee beans and is a well-known process used to produce alternative energy. The solid by-product of torrefaction, biochar, has many uses from energy production to soil amendments. However, the transportation of biochar in large quantities has proven to have several risks associated with it including spontaneous combustion. On-site torrefaction allows for the production of biochar where it will be used, thus eliminating explosion, fire, and health hazards associated with the transport of large quantities. The implementation of on-site torrefaction for agriculture also eliminates the smoke pollution created from open-field burning, while still allowing for the utilization of biochar as soil amendments to return much needed nutrients back to fields. The current torrefaction technology is too large and cumbersome to warrant mobile torrefaction units that are easily moved from one site to another. This project looks to microwave technology to scale down the size of mobile torrefaction units making them more feasible to take from job site to job site.