The effect of hemicellulose on the interparticle frictional behavior of lignocellulosic biomass particulates--颗粒学报PARTICUOLOGY

Ehite, E. H., Drumm, E., & Abdoulmoumine, N. (2021). The effect of hemicellulose on the interparticle frictional behavior of lignocellulosic biomass particulates. Particuology, 55, 16-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.partic.2020.09.002

The effect of hemicellulose on the interparticle frictional behavior of lignocellulosic biomass particulates

Ekramul Haque Ehite^a, Eric Drumm ^a, Nourredine Abdoulmoumine ^{a b *}

a Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
b Center for Renewable Carbon, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA

10.1016/j.partic.2020.09.002

Volume 55, April 2021, Pages 16-22

Received 1 June 2020, Revised 4 August 2020, Accepted 9 September 2020, Available online 25 September 2020, Version of Record 3 February 2021.

E-mail: nabdoulm@utk.edu

Highlights

• We selectively removed hemicellulose in a switchgrass sample.

• We investigated the relationship between hemicellulose content and the coefficient of interparticle friction.

• We observed that hemicellulose content and the coefficient of friction are correlated.

Abstract

Lignocellulosic biomass material sourced from plants and herbaceous sources is considered as a prospective feedstock of inexpensive, potentially carbon-neutral energy. Lignocellulosic biomass is structurally built on cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which are present in varying concentrations based on the feedstock type and play distinct and not well understood mechanical functions in the flow behavior. The frictional characteristics of lignocellulosic biomass particulates influence their flow behavior in biorefineries. Thus, it is important to fundamentally investigate the relative contribution of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin to the frictional behavior. However, these three biopolymers are interwoven into a complex matrix in the lignocellulosic biomass, thus making it hard to quantify the contribution of each biopolymer. In this study, we selectively remove hemicellulose from switchgrass and investigate the effects of its diminishing concentration on the coefficient of friction.

We observed that the angle of repose and, therefore, the coefficient of friction for a loose assembly of the control and treated switchgrass samples decrease with decreasing hemicellulose content. This indicates the frictional resistance to flow for biomass particulate assemblies is at least proportional to the hemicellulose content. We also established that the observed changes in the frictional behavior were not due to particle morphological characteristics.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Lignocellulosic biomass; Frictional behavior; Angle of repose; Hot water extraction; Switchgrass; Hemicellulose removal

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