Comparative Study of Atmosphere Effect on Wood Torrefaction

Climate change, biomass utilization, and bioenergy recovery are among the biggest current global concerns. Wood is considered an environmentally benign material. Nevertheless, it must be processed for desired applications. Upon thermal treatment ranging from 180 °C to 280 °C, under low oxygen concentrations, wood becomes a material with improved dimensional stability, resistance fungal attacks, grindability, hydrophobicity, storage stability. Several strategies have been investigated over course of past decades, including use steam, nitrogen, smoke, vacuum, water, hot oil. The goal this work investigate influence pressure atmosphere on torrefaction poplar. Through systematic analysis poplar samples treated reduced pressures different atmospheres, while keeping same heating profile, was possible establish that changes observed mass loss, color composition (via TGA/DTG analysis), functional groups FTIR), elemental analysis, X-ray diffractograms relate directly known reaction pathways occurring during torrefaction. Changes associated relative concentration in diffusion times experienced by reactive by-products treatment. Conversely, extended resulted more significant reactions carried out N2, water vapor, air.