Process characteristics for microwave assisted hydrothermal carbonization of cellulose

The process characteristics of microwave assisted hydrothermal carbonization of cellulose was investigated and a first order kinetics model based on carbon concentration was developed. Chemical properties analysis showed that comparing to conventional hydrothermal carbonization, hydrochar with comparable energy properties can be obtained with 5-10 times decrease in reaction time with assistance of microwave heating. Results from kinetics study was in great agreement with experimental analysis, that they both illustrated the predominant mechanism of the reaction depend on variations in the reaction rates of two co-existent pathways. Particularly, the pyrolysis-like intramolecular dehydration reaction was proved to be the predominant mechanism for hydrochar generation under high temperatures. Finally, the enhancement effects of microwave heating were reflected under both soluble and solid pathways in this research, suggesting microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbonization as a more attracting method for carbon-enriched hydrochar recovery.