Relating Structural and Microstructural Evolution to the Reactivity of Cellulose and Lignin during Alkaline Thermal Treatment with Ca(OH)2 for Sustainable Energy Production Integrated with CO2 Capture
The transition toward a low carbon economy necessitates the implementation of a wide range of negative emissions technologies, including bioenergy integrated with CO2 capture and storage. Advancing large scale or modular technologies for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage requires a fundamental understanding of chemo morphological coupling in these material systems. In this context, integrated chemical pathways such as alkaline thermal treatment (ATT) of biomass which involves the production of bio H2 while converting and storing CO2 as solid carbonates provides promising potential for integrating bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. In this study, we elucidate the structural and morphological changes when biomass feedstocks such as cellulose and lignin are reacted with calcium hydroxide to capture, convert, and store CO2 as calcium carbonate while producing energy carrier such as H2. These structural and morphological changes were monitored using synchrotron based in operando multiscale X ra.