Effects of steam feeding on microwave heating of cellulose with magnetite used as susceptor

Microwave heating (MWH) of lignocellulosic biomass with susceptors has attracted attention for H2 production. In this study, H2 is produced from cellulose via MWH at 800 °C in a steam atmosphere with magnetite used as the susceptor. The effects of steam feeding and MWH on the product yields are experimentally investigated in comparison with conventional heating (CH). The H2 and CO2 yields are increased by steam feeding for both MWH and CH because the water–gas shift reaction occurs. Without steam feeding, MWH enhances H2 and CO production, thereby increasing the maximum energy efficiency. With steam feeding, the steam gasification of C is more predominant for CH than for MWH as the reduction in the C content in the char of CH is higher than that of MWH. MWH reduces the formation of secondary char, and it is therefore expected to overcome issues such as the clogging or blockage of gas lines.