High-resolution in situ analysis of biomass pyrolysis by combining quantitative synchrotron μCT and 3D particle-resolved simulations
Abstract
Understanding the coupling between transport, chemical kinetics, and structural response within solid fuel combustion requires in situ measurements at high spatial resolution. To examine the dynamics of biomass pyrolysis, we optimize synchrotron X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT), and conduct 3D particle-resolved simulations. A micro-focused heating cell with controlled heating and flow rate is employed, achieving temperatures of up to 1240 K and 3D imaging at 3.24 μm spatial and sub-minute temporal resolutions. The pyrolysis of three biomass materials at sample heating rates of 10-14 K/min are examined. The μCT measurements capture pore deformation, cracking, anisotropic shrinkage, and provide simultaneous thermogravimetric and thermovolumetric analyses to examine specific secondary pyrolysis pathways. Complementary 3D simulations considering detailed kinetics and structural response reproduce the key trends observed, and identify deficiencies in capturing simultaneous mass and volume losses during pyrolysis.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{boigne2026highresolution,
title = {{High-resolution in situ analysis of biomass pyrolysis by combining quantitative synchrotron $μ$CT and 3D particle-resolved simulations}},
author = {Emeric Boigné and Mohamed M. Ahmed and Collin Foster and Edna R. Toro and Dilworth Y. Parkinson and Alastair A. MacDowell and Harold S. Barnard and Francesco Panerai and Chiara Saggese and Matthias Ihme},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.27042},
eprint = {2608.27042},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.27042},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - High-resolution in situ analysis of biomass pyrolysis by combining quantitative synchrotron μCT and 3D particle-resolved simulations
AU - Emeric Boigné
AU - Mohamed M. Ahmed
AU - Collin Foster
AU - Edna R. Toro
AU - Dilworth Y. Parkinson
AU - Alastair A. MacDowell
AU - Harold S. Barnard
AU - Francesco Panerai
AU - Chiara Saggese
AU - Matthias Ihme
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/27
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.27042
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.27042
AB - Understanding the coupling between transport, chemical kinetics, and structural response within solid fuel combustion requires in situ measurements at high spatial resolution. To examine the dynamics of biomass pyrolysis, we optimize synchrotron X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT), and conduct 3D particle-resolved simulations. A micro-focused heating cell with controlled heating and flow rate is employed, achieving temperatures of up to 1240 K and 3D imaging at 3.24 μm spatial and sub-minute temporal resolutions. The pyrolysis of three biomass materials at sample heating rates of 10-14 K/min are examined. The μCT measurements capture pore deformation, cracking, anisotropic shrinkage, and provide simultaneous thermogravimetric and thermovolumetric analyses to examine specific secondary pyrolysis pathways. Complementary 3D simulations considering detailed kinetics and structural response reproduce the key trends observed, and identify deficiencies in capturing simultaneous mass and volume losses during pyrolysis.
ER -