Chapter 5
Biomass Decomposition
and Nanotechnology
5.1 Biomass Decomposition
Biomass can be used as the potential alternative for the generation of sustainable
hydrogen. It is not considered the best candidate to be used as the feedstock for the
generation of hydrogen because of very low hydrogen content (~6% against 25% of
methane). The content of H 2 is smaller in biomass due to large (40%) oxygen content.
Despite the low hydrogen contents biomass is still used as the important source for
the generation of sustainable hydrogen as it is renewable and absorbs atmospheric
CO 2 , which makes it a better option than the fossil fuels [1] because the fossils fuels
are finite and depleting. Fossil fuels also produce considerable amount of CO 2 during
the generation of H 2 resulting in global warming and other environmental issues [2].
Biomass is obtained through variety of sources such as crop residues, waster of agricultural industries, and plant residues like wood and the crops [3]. There are several
methods for the generation of H 2 from biomass. A diagrammatic classification of
various hydrogen generation methods is given in Fig. 5.1. These methods can be
broadly classified into two categories, i.e., thermochemical processes and biochemical processes [4]. Biochemical processes are appropriate for the biomass enriched
with starch or sugar but do not work well with the lignocellulosic-based biomass.
Contrary to this, thermochemical processes are suited for the broad range of biomass
feedstocks [5, 6]. Some of the important methods for the generation of H 2 from
biomass are discussed here.
Fast pyrolysis of biomass is a thermochemical process in which H 2 is produced
from biomass. This kind of pyrolysis results in the formation of small amount of
gaseous hydrogen and pyrolytic oil is also referred as bio-oil, which is later on
converted to hydrogen by steam reforming. Fast pyrolysis is usually followed by
steam reforming for the recovery of the H 2 from the pyrolytic oil. The oil is separated
into two fractions depending upon the miscibility in water, namely, the water-soluble
fraction and the water-insoluble fraction. The water-soluble fraction is used for the
liberation of hydrogen whereas the other part cannot be employed for the purpose
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Farrukh et al., Nanotechnology and the Generation of Sustainable Hydrogen,
Green Energy and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60402-8_5
49
Biomass Decomposition
and Nanotechnology
5.1 Biomass Decomposition
Biomass can be used as the potential alternative for the generation of sustainable
hydrogen. It is not considered the best candidate to be used as the feedstock for the
generation of hydrogen because of very low hydrogen content (~6% against 25% of
methane). The content of H 2 is smaller in biomass due to large (40%) oxygen content.
Despite the low hydrogen contents biomass is still used as the important source for
the generation of sustainable hydrogen as it is renewable and absorbs atmospheric
CO 2 , which makes it a better option than the fossil fuels [1] because the fossils fuels
are finite and depleting. Fossil fuels also produce considerable amount of CO 2 during
the generation of H 2 resulting in global warming and other environmental issues [2].
Biomass is obtained through variety of sources such as crop residues, waster of agricultural industries, and plant residues like wood and the crops [3]. There are several
methods for the generation of H 2 from biomass. A diagrammatic classification of
various hydrogen generation methods is given in Fig. 5.1. These methods can be
broadly classified into two categories, i.e., thermochemical processes and biochemical processes [4]. Biochemical processes are appropriate for the biomass enriched
with starch or sugar but do not work well with the lignocellulosic-based biomass.
Contrary to this, thermochemical processes are suited for the broad range of biomass
feedstocks [5, 6]. Some of the important methods for the generation of H 2 from
biomass are discussed here.
Fast pyrolysis of biomass is a thermochemical process in which H 2 is produced
from biomass. This kind of pyrolysis results in the formation of small amount of
gaseous hydrogen and pyrolytic oil is also referred as bio-oil, which is later on
converted to hydrogen by steam reforming. Fast pyrolysis is usually followed by
steam reforming for the recovery of the H 2 from the pyrolytic oil. The oil is separated
into two fractions depending upon the miscibility in water, namely, the water-soluble
fraction and the water-insoluble fraction. The water-soluble fraction is used for the
liberation of hydrogen whereas the other part cannot be employed for the purpose
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Farrukh et al., Nanotechnology and the Generation of Sustainable Hydrogen,
Green Energy and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60402-8_5
49