Thermal Uses and Properties of Carbohydrates and Lignins

Thermal Uses and Properties of Carbohydrates and Lignins contains the proceedings of the Symposium on Thermal Uses and Properties of Carbohydrates and Lignins, held during the 172nd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco, California, in September 1976. Contributors focus on thermal uses and properties of carbohydrates and lignins and discuss processes ranging from combustion and pyrolysis to thermal degradation and decomposition, gasification, and catalytic conversion. This text is comprised of 17 chapters; the first of which introduces the reader to the relationship between the chemical composition, combustion, heat release, and pyrolysis of cellulosic materials. The chapters that follow explore the kinetics of solid-phase cellulose pyrolysis; flash pyrolysis of holocellulose from loblolly pine bark; and the decomposition products of Douglas fir under varying conditions. The influence of crystallinity on the thermal properties of cellulose; energy considerations in the pyrolysis-gasification-combustion process; and the catalytic conversion of carbohydrates to synthesis gas are also considered. This book highlights the diversity and complexity of uses for renewable resources, as well as the problem of turning cellulose and lignin into useful products for society. At one level, the chapters present fundamental research; at another they consider specific processes for resource utilization. This book will be of interest to professionals working in fields such as chemistry, forestry, and agriculture.

List of Contributors

Preface

Combustion Characteristics of Cellulosic Fuels

Kinetics of Solid-Phase Cellulose Pyrolysis

Flash Pyrolysis of Holocellulose from Loblolly Pine Bark

Comparison of the Thermal Degradation Products of α-Cellulose and Douglas Fir under Inert and Oxidative Environments

Influence of Crystallinity on the Thermal Properties of Cellulose

The Pyrolysis-Gasification-Combustion Process: Energy Considerations and Overall Processing

Catalytic Conversion of Carbohydrates to Synthesis Gas

Mixing Urban Waste and Wood Waste for Gasification in a Purox™ Reactor

Pyrolysis of Pine Sawdust

The Energy Plantation: Design, Operation and Economic Potential

Results of a National Survey of Cellulosic Waste: Characteristics and Processes for Their Conversion to Energy Forms

Electrical Energy Storage Capacity of Lignocellulose Pyrolyzates

Indirect Pyrolysis of Kraft Black Liquors

Forest Fires and the Chemistry of Forest Fuels

Ketene Formation from the Pyrolysis of Carbohydrates

Thermal Decomposition and Gas Phase Analysis of Carbohydrates Found in Tobacco

Concluding Discussion of Salient Issues

Index