Purity improvement and efficient recovery of levoglucosan mist produced by fast pyrolysis of cellulose using corona discharge

Abstract

Cellulose can be efficiently decomposed through fast pyrolysis. However, the mist products generated during this process are difficult to collect efficiently because they remain suspended in the gas phase for an extended period (20–30 min). In this study, we attempted to overcome this problem by using corona discharge treatment to add static electricity, which allowed us to collect the mist products more effectively. This method facilitated the rapid agglomeration of mist products, primarily composed of levoglucosan (LG), allowing for their easy recovery as condensate. Conversely, the aldehydes produced as by-products of the pyrolysis process remained in the gas phase and were unaffected by the static electricity. Consequently, the application of corona discharge improved the purity of LG compared to the untreated process, providing valuable insights into the production of fermentable sugar solutions via subsequent mild hydrolysis. These results demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneously recovering and refining products using static electricity.