Unveiling Characteristics of Woody Biomass Torrefaction Through Kinetic Modeling

The direct use of biomass for energy generation is usually unfavorable due to its unsatisfied characteristics. Those characteristics could be eliminated by a mild temperature pre-treatment such as torrefaction. This study aims to simulate and compare the torrefaction characteristics of woody and non-woody biomasses by using a three pseudo-component decomposition model. The result indicated that the decomposition was excessively started from 270 °C, and the highest rate of hemicellulose was observed at 290 °C. On the other hand, the mass yield of biomass was observed to decrease dramatically by approximately 60 to 70% at a torrefaction temperature of 300 °C. This evaluation concludes that an energy yield of > 90% can be obtained by applying the torrefaction method at 250 °C for 30 min. This study also explains the characteristics of torrefied biomass that provide valuable insights for optimizing process conditions, enabling the harnessing of biomass advantages while mitigating its inherent drawbacks.