Abstract
Fibrous carbons, such as carbon fibers and activated carbon fibers, have valuable functions as industrial precursors for the production of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics, adsorbents and so on. Approaching global environmental issues are leading toward the utilization of biomass-derived carbonaceous materials to replace the current petrochemical-based industry. Woody biomass is comprised of multiple components resulting from highly complex metabolic systems. It is therefore more difficult to produce functional carbonaceous materials directly from woody biomass as compared to fossil resources. These disadvantages of the direct utilization of woody biomass have promoted approaches to establish effective systems for biomass refining into its components, and even to develop new functionalities for biomass carbons with defined differentiation from fossil-based carbons. In this review, current developments of woody biomass-based fibrous carbons are introduced.
