This document is a master's thesis proposal and research plan from Tianjin University by student Sarwaich Ahmed. The proposal is to investigate the effects of torrefaction pre-treatment on Chinese medicine residue for gasification. Specifically, the student plans to study how torrefaction of the biomass affects its gasification characteristics and outputs. The proposal provides background on torrefaction and gasification processes and discusses research gaps around how biomass composition and minerals influence thermal degradation and tar production.

1. 天津大学硕士研究生
选题报告及论文工作计划表
硕 士 生姓 名 (name)： Sarwaich Ahmed 学号 ： 6217000184
入学年月： 2017.09
所 属 学 院(Learning institute):Environmental Science and Engineering
专业： Environmental Engineering
导师姓名(tutor’s name)： Prof. Yan Beibei
课题名称： Investigation of torrefaction as per-treatment for Chinese
medicine residue and its effects on gasification
1、课题来源： （1）导师研究课题的一部分√
（2）自己选择课题
（3）其它 （选一项打√）
2、项目所属性质：（1）基础研究
（2）应用基础研究√
（3）应用研究
（4）开发研究
（5）工程设计 （选一项打√）
3、预计论文完成时间： 2019 年 10 月 15 日
选 题 报 告 时 间： 2018 年 09 月 30 日
参加报告范围及人数：

2. 评议组成员姓名：陈冠益、刘佳、颜蓓蓓、昝文安
职 称：教授、教授、副教授 、教授级高工
1、拟选课题国内、外的研究动态、水平、存在问题，并附主要参考文献：
The research trends, levels and existing problems in the domestic and external
studies , and the main references
In Recent years and current research, the contribution of biomass is considering as
important factor for upcoming energy supply. [1]. Biomass is a renewable energy
source that can be easily transformed into valuable energies such as electricity, liquid
fuels, and gaseous fuels. Gasification is considered the main and important
technology in the thermochemical technique of biomass valorization to heat and
power, synthetic fuels and chemicals, as it converts biomass resourcefully and with
high conversion rates. [2]. Though, Untreated biomass is not perfectly suitable for
energy conversion applications. Because it is usually due to high moisture element
which links to low energy content. Furthermore, its main biochemical and mineral
compositions differ based on sort of biomass, time and location of cultivation. That’s
why conversion of biomass is complex and logistics extra expensive. Hence, efforts
are made to mature and upgrading processes which can easily converts biomass into
a fuel by means of superior properties in relations with logistics and end-use. From
most of the biomasses wood is considered as a best option due to its composition of
contained ash and the fact that it can be raw substantial for another generation for
biofuel production. The wood is mostly classified into two types hard wood and soft
wood, which contains lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, hardwoods lignin is
measured more unstable to thermal treatment. [1,3]. However, World is challenging
a major issue of hazardous gases, so it’s necessary to be mitigate greenhouse gases
(GHSs) and also worlds energy consumption is going to increase day by day due to
change in living standard, to overcome these problems renewable source biomass is
a good solution. [4]. Nevertheless, Biomass for energy production is directly not
much suitable because of some inherent disadvantages such as high moisture
content, low bulk density, low heating value, and poor grindability. Torrefaction is
considered as a pretreatment technique for upgrading the solid biomass fuel.
Torrefaction method has two kinds, dry torrefaction and wet torrefaction. Dry
Torrefaction (DT) is thermal treatment of biomass in an inert atmospheric pressure
and temperatures inside the range of 200-300°C [5-7]. While, Wet torrefaction (WT)
is treatment of hydrothermal media, or hot compressed water, at temperatures
within 180-260°C [6-8]. At this temperature range hemicellulose is predictable to be
the most changed polymer, shadowed by cellulose and lignin. Hemicelulose starts
degrading between 200-380°C, with xylan being the most thermally unstable
containing monomer at the low temperature side, followed by glucomannan [9].
Thermal degradation starts approximately at 200°C [10], and thermal devolatization

3. of cellulose starts approximately at 230 [11]. The result of torrefaction depends on
temperature, time and nature of wood, in count torrefaction in combination with a
densification step is a promising technology for promotion, the biomass becomes
more coal alike, has higher energy density, lower O/C and H/C ratios, it becomes
more hydrophobic, extra resilient against biological degradation and more rigid. So,
toreefaction leads to benefits in transportation, handling and storage [12-15]. During
thermal degradation, some mineral matter may affect the behavior of biomass
components, altering the distribution and chemical specification of the pyrolysis
products. The mineral matter content of raw biomass may vary from less than 1 by
wt % to more than 25 wt% depending the type of biomass, mainly consisting of Al,
Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na and Si with similar amounts of S, P, Cl and Mn [16]. Among above
metals potassium appears to have the greatest influence on thermal degradation
[17]. These torrefaction studies, however, did not analyze the effect of potassium
addition on the composition and yield of the condensable species. Increasing
potassium content may enhance lignin derivative yield during pyrolysis [18-19]. After
torrefaction the torrefied material is prepared for gasification and it is typically
defined as a partial oxidation of the fuel, which is treated in sub stoichiometric
environments, leading to the production of syngas and a series of byproducts. The
potential benefits of gasification over traditional combustion of solid waste are
mainly related to the advantages of handling (and burning) a gas versus a solid waste
[20]. In adding gasification presents a high-level efficiency and the produced syngas
can be used in different application, such as generation of electricity, fuels and
chemicals, only biomass is acting as a main renewable source for gasification [21-22].
Tar formation is one of main task in present thermal gasification technologies, and
mainly during biomass gasification. Tar is a condensable carbon-based product
composites mostly by olefins, phenolics, mono and poly nuclear aromatics,
heterocyclic aldehydes and alkyl derivates of aromatics [2]. Tars formed during
biomass gasification may condensed tend to polymerize into more complex
structures, which represent a serious drawback for the use of producer gas, foe both
CHP and synthesis of biofuels or other chemicals. Condensed tars, particularly when
mixed with char and fly ash particles, cause clogging and fouling in downstream
boilers, gas cleaning systems and catalytic reactors and deactivate downstream
catalysts. These technical issues related to tar formation typically lead to high
operation and maintenance cost in commercial scale facilities, removal of tars from
the gas stream after gasification, although necessary to achieve the gas purity
required by its downstream processing, increase operation costs and reduces the
thermal efficiency of the gasification unit, since tars retain a significant fraction of
the energy of biomass fuel. The extensive research available in literature related to
tar formation has mainly focused on experimental characterization of tars produced
from biomass pyrolysis and gasification under various conditions [23-30]. The use of
catalysts and additives to reduce tar formation in biomass gasification has also been
extensively investigated [2, 31,32].
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Renewable Energy Laboratory; 1998e25357.NREL/TP-570.
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2、
课题拟解决的主要技术问题，
在理论和应用方面的意义，
完成课题的条件
（包
括个人业务水平、教研室或学科组的技术、设备条件）和拟采取的技术措施和办
法：
2 Research significance, Innovation, work plan
a) To perform Torrefaction or catalytic torrefaction process, catalytic
torrefaction don’t have a lot of work we can use some good catalyst to see
the effects of catalyst on tar formation, it may be innovative.
b) Investigate the changes in feedstock before and after torrefaction, there
may be some innovations.
c) To find out the ultimate analysis (Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen
Sulfur etc.)
d) To find out proximate analysis (Moisture, Volatiles, Fixed carbon, Ash, Lower
heating value LHV)
e) Purpose of torrefaction is to get best gasification products and reduces
emission of gases and control pollution
f) Active Analysis of torrefied biomass gasification specially syngas production
and tar content.
g) Due to tar formation there are many drawbacks such as slagging, fouling in
downstream boilers, gas cleaning systems and catalytic reactors and
deactivate the downstream catalysts, we can compare either torrefaction
has good impact on tar formation or not during gasification.
Geographical structure
3、 课题进展计划（包括各阶段计划完成的内容和所需的时间等）。
3. Project progress plan (including the content and time required for each phase
plan).

7. Materials and method
Biomass feedstock maybe we use is Chinese medicine residue, and medicine residue
can be obtained from any of hospital or medicine universities.TG and DTG and FT-IR
(Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy will be used to investigate the change in
biomass feedstock after torrefaction, TGA-FTIR instrument is composed of a
thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and and DTG Differntial thermogravimetric will be
used, Tube furnace and fixed bed gasifier will be used for torrefaction and
gasification.
Experimental Procedure
Torrefaction process: First of all, physical and chemical adsorption and
desorption/ ultimate and proximate analysis will be held by GC, GC-MS,
PY-GC-MS, TG, FTIR.
GC-MS: This will be used to combine the features of gas chromatography and
mass spectroscopy to identify different substances within a test sample.
PY-GC-MS: Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy is a method of
chemical analysis in which the sample is heated to decomposition to produce
smaller molecules that are separated by gas chromatography and detected using
mass spectroscopy.
TG-Thermal Gravity: TG it’s a method in which we will measure the mass of
sample over time as the temperature changes, this measurement provides
information about physical phenomena as well as chemical phenomena.
DTG-Differential Thermogravimetric: DTG is also a type of thermal analysis in
which the rate of material weight changes upon heating is played against
temperature and used to simplify reading the weight versus temperature
thermogram peaks which occur together, It will be very useful to record the first
derivative of TG/TGA curve DTG also because it makes noticing small
features/boulders on the curve much easier.
Fourier Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer: For the analysis of evolved gases. During
the heating operation of sample, the evolving volatile products are carried out of
the furnace directly into a gas cell where the gases are analyzed by FT-IR. The
FT-IR spectrometer can obtain spectra every forty seconds to determine
quantitatively the evolution rate and composition of oxidation gaseous product
Reactor for torrefaction process will be used according to the availability in
laboratory.
Furthermore, Biomass Samples can be dried in an oven at standard temperatures
between 80-100°C for some hours, and then it will be powdered and sieved by
any mesh screen, particle size will be in between 0.4-0.6mm and will be collected
for subsequent torrefaction and analysis, and further will be torrefied in tube
furnace. samples can be dried in an oven at standard temperatures between
80-100°C for some hours, and then it will be powdered and sieved by any mesh
screen and will be collected for subsequent torrefaction and analysis In this study
we will take four different temperatures and times for torrefaction and compare
results, temperature range will be in between 200-300°C and time will be in
between 15-60minutes, Bed Materials can be used such as CaO, or alkali metals

8. and CaO can be prepare from egg shell or other materials.
Diagrammatically view is given bellow,
After that the torrefied materials will be usedfor gasification process to get better
products and reduce the drawbacks during gasification process we will use fixed bed
gasifier.
Work plan
Description Required time
Literature review 2018.10-2019.02
Perform experiments 2019.03-2019.06
Data analysis 2019.07-2019.08
Writing Papers/Thesis 2019.09-2018.11
4、 导师对硕士生选题报告的评语（硕士生对国内外文献、动态、水平是否了解
清楚，所选课题是否适当、正确，预期目标能否达到，理论和实际应用的价
值如何、路线和措施是否具体可行等）：
Advisor for master's topic selection report reviews (master of literature at home and
abroad, dynamic, levels are made sure that the selected topic whether appropriate,
accurate and can achieve the anticipated goals, and how the value of theory and
practical application, whether feasible routes and measures, etc.) :
导师签字： 年 月 日

9. 5、选题报告会评议组意见：
组长
（签字）
： 年 月 日
6、学院审查意见：
学院
（公章） 主管院长
（签字）
： 年 月 日
注：1、此表一式三份（导师、学院、硕士生本人各一份）。硕士生应在第三学
期末举行的选题报告会之前填写此表，
经导师和评议组负责人签署意见后报所在
学院审核。
2、答辩申请时，硕士生应向学院和学校提交此表。