Hydrothermal Carbonization

Carbon nanoballs made from glucose via hydrothermal carbonization, that have been processed with CO₂ for 6 hours to change surface properties. SEM image from University of Tartu.

Basics

• Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC), also known as "hydrochar", is a form of thermal biomass conversion that involves moderate temperatures and pressures over an aqueous solution of biomass in a dilute acid for several hours.
• One advantage of the HTC process over conventional dry-thermal pre-treatments is the ability to handle wet feedstock without pre-drying.
• The resulting "biocoal" can be used as a Fuel or Chemical Feedstock, as a Soil Amendment (similar to biochar), and as a filtration media, among other things
• ’’’As with how Torrefaction is essentially partial Pyrolysis caused by calmer reaction conditions, HTC can be “tuned” to produce Pure Carbon, or something more akin to Lignite

Clarification on Carbon Produced

• ’’’Hydrochar’’’ shall be used as the term for (Near) Pure Amorphous Carbon which is similar to Charcoal , Carbon Black , or Petcoke and can be used as such
• ’’’Bio-Coal’’’ shall be used to refer to Oily Product intended for use as a Solid Fuel akin to Lignite / Bituminous Coal , or as a Chemical Feedstock for products such as Asphaultum (Useful for Japan Black , a durable Metal Coating called Japanning ) , Humic Acids , or potentially Wax akin to Cerasin Wax , Ozokerite , Motan Wax

Open Source Hardware Needs

• Pressure Vessel

Internal Links

• Biochar (The term used for using Charcoal / Bio- Petcoke or Hydrochar in soil as a Soil Additive such as in Synthetic Amazonian Black Earth )
• Torrefaction
• The Biochar Economy

External Links

• Paper: "A comparative review of biochar and hydrochar in terms of production, physico-chemical properties and applications"
• A Video by the YouTube Channel “ TerraNovaEnergy “ Titled “Hydrochar from Biomass” ( ‘’’~4 Minute Watch’’’ )
• A 2020 Study in “Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery” Titled “ Impact of hydrothermal carbonization on combustion properties of residual biomass”
• A 2024 Study Titled “Textile microfibers valorization by catalytic hydrothermal carbonization toward high-tech carbonaceous materials”