Conversion of Switchgrass into Functional Carbon Materials and Food Emulsifiers
| dc.contributor.author | Li, Yilin | en |
| dc.contributor.committeechair | Huang, Haibo | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Cheng, Yifan | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Lin, Feng | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Ogejo, Jactone Arogo | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | O'Keefe, Sean F. | en |
| dc.contributor.department | Food Science and Technology | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-05-14T08:02:16Z | en |
| dc.date.available | 2025-05-14T08:02:16Z | en |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-05-13 | en |
| dc.description.abstractgeneral | Switchgrass is a perennial grass native to North America. It can easily grow in a variety of conditions with a high yield. In recent years, it has gained increasing attention as a feedstock for biofuel production. However, the process is limited due to the high-cost and immature technologies. Therefore, the overall goal of this study is to convert switchgrass into high-value and large-volume commodity products, such as hard carbon and natural emulsifier, to increase the economic gain. First, we designed a process to convert switchgrass into hard carbon, a carbon material with disordered structures, and used as an anode material in sodium-ion batteries. The produced hard carbon showed an exceptional battery performance with high storage capacity and excellent cycling stability over time. Furthermore, we investigated the cost-competitiveness of the hard carbon production process through a techno-economic analysis. The results showed the designed process for producing hard carbon from switchgrass was both technically and economically feasible at an industrial scale. Besides the hard carbon production, the liquid generated from the process, which was rich in hemicellulose, was upcycled to natural emulsifiers. The produced emulsifier can stabilize oil-in-water emulsion and maintain its stability over 21 days. Overall, this study developed an intergrade process to produce high-performance hard carbon and natural emulsifiers from switchgrass. The process not only increases the utilization of switchgrass but also provide high-value products for food, pharmaceutical, and energy industries. | en |
| dc.description.degree | Doctor of Philosophy | en |
| dc.format.medium | ETD | en |
| dc.identifier.other | vt_gsexam:43621 | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10919/132457 | en |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.publisher | Virginia Tech | en |
| dc.rights | In Copyright | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ | en |
| dc.subject | Lignocellulosic biomass | en |
| dc.subject | Hydrothermal Treatment | en |
| dc.subject | Hard Carbon Anode | en |
| dc.subject | Natural Emulsifier | en |
| dc.subject | Techno-Economic Analysis | en |
| dc.title | Conversion of Switchgrass into Functional Carbon Materials and Food Emulsifiers | en |
| dc.type | Dissertation | en |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Food Science and Technology | en |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | en |
| thesis.degree.level | doctoral | en |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy | en |