Xenon lamps could extract hydrogen from biomass

Swiss chemists discovered that powerful xenon lamps, which are commonly used in the electronics industry for soldering circuit boards, can be used to quickly decompose plant biomass into hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and pure carbon.

The authors describe the photothermal process of photopyrolysis (thermal decomposition) of dried powders of natural biomass to obtain valuable synthesis gas and conductive porous carbon by splitting biomass into gases and solids using pulsed light radiation as an efficient photothermal process of photopyrolysis (thermal decomposition) of dried powders of natural biomass to obtain valuable synthesis gas and conductive porous carbon (biochar). A powerful xenon flash lamp speeds up photothermal reactions to 14.5 milliseconds.

Biofuels have become increasingly popular in recent years, but the cost of producing biogas with the help of fungi and bacteria is high, and the energy capacity is low when compared to conventional gasoline.

Swiss scientists developed an alternative technology that allows them to convert bio-raw materials into bio-fuel with minimal energy consumption.

The new approach’s basic principle is to use a xenon lamp as a photonic curing system to generate a powerful light pulse that, when absorbed by biomass, promotes photothermal conversion into synthetic gas and biochar.

In a stainless steel reactor with a standard glass window, the process is carried out at near atmospheric pressure in an inert argon atmosphere. The biomass is ground into a fine powder after being heated to 105°C.

In comparison to traditional pyrolysis processes, this method not only saves time but also increases the yield of synthesis gas (hydrogen). Another benefit of the method is the large amount of solid carbon biochar produced, which accounts for 33% of the biomass used by weight.

The researchers used biomass from banana peels in their experiments, but they claim that their method can decompose a wide range of plant materials. They hope to improve the process technology in the future so that it can be used on an industrial scale.