Steam explosion

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Technology
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Technology details
Name: Steam explosion
Category: Pre-processing (Physical processes and technologies), Post-processing (Physical processes and technologies)
Feedstock: Garden and park waste
Product: Lignocellulosic hydrolysate

Steam explosion is a physicochemical method to break the lignocellulose structure by using high-pressure steam to disrupt the bonding between polymeric components (lignin, cellulose) and decompression. It can be used to pre-treat the lignocellulosic biomass to improve subsequent processes, such as enzymatic hydrolysis.

Feedstock

Origin and composition

Steam explosion is used to pre-treat lignocellulosic biomass such as wood, straw and lignocellulosic wastes for industrial processes. Normally, the material enters the steam explosion process as chips, pellets or ground material.

Pre-treatment

Process and technologies

Lignocellulosic biomass, such as wood, exists of composite materials with high mechanical strength composed of cellulose fibres, lignin polymers as a matrix and hemicelluloses in a tightly packed cellular structure of fibres that form fibre bundles. Their natural function is to bear high mechanical loads, and to resist chemical and enzymatic degradation through microorganisms. Steam explosion breaks this structure down to enable these chemical and enzymatic conversions. It converts biomass in a steam atmosphere at elevated temperatures ranging from 140 to 240 °C. The steam pressure is rapidly reduced to atmospheric pressure, whereby a mechanical disruption of biomass occurs. In steam explosion, the lignocellulosic biomass is treated with a high-pressure, hot steam for some time and then the vessel is rapidly depressurised to atmospheric pressure. With this explosive decompression and high temperature it causes degradation of hemicellulose, which is extracted as a water-soluble fraction. The cellulose is largely preserved in its original form, and only slight depolymerisation occurs at mild reaction condition. The Lignin undergoes depolymerisation by cleavage of β–O–4 linkages, and condensation of the fragments occurs to form a more stable polymer.[1]

Steam explosion was introduced and patented as a biomass pre-treatment process in 1926 by Mason et al. (1926)[2]. The patent describes a steam explosion process for the pre-treatment of wood where wood chips are fed from a bin through a screw loading valve. The chips are then steam heated at a temperature of about 285°C and a pressure of 3.5 MPa for about 2 min. The pressure is increased rapidly to about 7 MPa (70 bar) for about 5 s, and the chips are then discharged and explode at atmospheric pressure into a pulp. The sudden pressure release defibrillates the cellulose bundles, and this result in a better accessibility of the cellulose for hydrolysis[3] or fermentation.[4][5][6]

Product

Steam explosion is a pre-treatment process that makes biomass more suitable for following processes, such as enzymatic hydrolysis, acid hydrolysis[3] or fermentation. Depending on residence time and temperature, steam explosion can result in anything from small cracks in the wood structure, to total defibrillation of the wood fibers.[4][5][6]

Post-treatment

Technology providers

Technology comparison
Company name Country Technology category Technology name TRL Capacity [kg/h] Pressure [bar] Temperature [°C] Feedstock: Food waste Feedstock: Garden & park waste
Biorenewables Development Centre BDC United Kingdom - Fibre expansion 4-7 100 12 190
ENEA Italy Steam Explosion 5 300 15 200

Biorenewables Development Centre BDC

Steam explosion provider
General information
Company: Biorenewables Development Centre Cropped-logo1.png
Country: United Kingdom
Contact: Mark Gronnow, info@biorenewables.org
Webpage: http://www.biorenewables.org
Technology and process details
Technology name: Fibre expansion Technology category: Pre-processing (Physical processes and technologies), Post-processing (Physical processes and technologies)
TRL: 4-7 Capacity: 100 L kg·h-1
Cellulose yield: up to 90 % Hemicellulose removal: up to 90 %
Pressure: up to 12 bar bar Temperature: up to 190°C °C
Other: use under alkaline and acid conditions
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock: any lignocellulosic materials (straws, bagasse, willow, miscanthus etc) Product: pre-treated biomass

The Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) is an open-access R&D biorefinery centre, based at the University of York, working at the interface between academia and industry to convert plants, microbes and biowastes into profitable biorenewable products. With biologists, chemists, and business development specialists the BDC team offers a unique combination of multi-disciplinary expertise coupled with pilot-scale processing capabilities in one coordinated centre. Covering a broad spectrum of biorefining technologies, from feedstock assessment to product evaluation, the team specialise in making the most out of biorenewable materials; helping ideas to survive the valley of death; and de-risking the innovation process.

ENEA

Steam explosion provider
General information
Company: ENEA Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development LogoENEA.png
Country: Italy
Contact: Isabella De Bari,

isabella.debari@enea.it

Webpage: https://www.enea.it/en
Technology and process details
Technology name: Steam Explosion Technology category: Pre-processing (Physical processes and technologies), Post-processing (Physical processes and technologies)
TRL: 5 Capacity: 300 kg·h-1
Cellulose yield: 80-90 % Hemicellulose removal: 90-95 %
Pressure: 15 bar Temperature: 200 °C
Other: catalyzed by 1-2% H2SO4
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock: each kind of lignocellulosic material Product: 2nd generation sugars, soluble hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin

ENEA is a public Agency targeted to research, innovation technology and advanced services in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable economic development. Its activities are devoted to basic, mission oriented and industrial research, dissemination and transfer of research results, providing public and private partners with high-tech services. ENEA has approximately 2700 employees operating in ten Research Centers located across Italy. The ENEA Research Centre “La Trisaia” (south of Italy) has complete platforms for the conversion of biomass/wastes, comprising a number of bench scale, pilot and demonstrative scale plants for biomass pretreatment, gasification, pyrolysis, biotechnological conversions and downstream processing. One main research focus is the development of new technologies for pretreatment, fractionation, separation, purification and conversion of biomass into so-called biobased products of industrial interest. The final objective is to support the development of new models of biorefineries, integrated with the agro-industrial processes that generate high value materials respecting the vocation and territorial sustainability.

Open access pilot and demo facility providers

Pilots4U Database

Patents

Currently no patents have been identified.

References

  1. , : Steam Explosion - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics , Last access 2021-08-30. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/steam-explosion
  2. W.H. Mason WH (1926): Process and apparatus for disintegration of wood and the like. US Patent:<tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call <tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call <tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call <tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call 1578609, via 3CX"> 1578609,</tcxspan> via 3CX"><tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call 1578609, via 3CX"> 1578609,</tcxspan></tcxspan> via 3CX"><tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call <tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call 1578609, via 3CX"> 1578609,</tcxspan> via 3CX"><tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call 1578609, via 3CX"> 1578609,</tcxspan></tcxspan></tcxspan> via 3CX"><tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call <tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call <tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call 1578609, via 3CX"> 1578609,</tcxspan> via 3CX"><tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call 1578609, via 3CX"> 1578609,</tcxspan></tcxspan> via 3CX"><tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call <tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call 1578609, via 3CX"> 1578609,</tcxspan> via 3CX"><tcxspan tcxhref="1578609" title="Call 1578609, via 3CX"> 1578609,</tcxspan></tcxspan></tcxspan></tcxspan> 1926.
  3. a b David Steinbach, Andrea Kruse, Jörg Sauer, Jonas Storz (2020): Is Steam Explosion a Promising Pretreatment for Acid Hydrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass? Process 8, 1626;, p. 75–104. (pdf)
  4. a b M. Tanahashi (1990): Characterization and degradation mechanisms of wood components by steam explosion and utilization of exploded wood. Wood Research 77, 1990: p. 49-117. (pdf)
  5. a b Wolfgang Stelte: Steam explosion for biomass pre-treatment. Danish Technological Institute
  6. a b Kun Wang, Jinghuan Chen, Shao-Ni Sun, Run-Cang Sun: Steam Explosion. In: Pretreatment of Biomass. Elsevier, 2015, p. 75–104. (pdf)