Upgrading Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil Quality by Esterification and Azeotropic Water Removal

Abstract Fast pyrolysis is an attractive way of converting abundant biomass resources into valuable products such as bio-oil. Nevertheless, high oxygenated compounds and water content of bio-oil limit its direct use as fuel or chemicals. Catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) is able to improve bio-oil properties so that downstream upgrading processes can be economically feasible. In this study five different catalysts such as zeolite socony mobil-5 (ZSM-5), cerium dioxide (CeO2), zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) were employed due to their potential in enhancing bio-oil properties. CFP of pearl millet (PM) and Sida cordifolia (Sida) was performed to investigate the effects of catalysts on the products distribution and chemical contents of bio-oil. The results showed that bio-oil yield decreased during CFP regardless of catalyst and biomass types. Among all catalysts, CeO2 was found to be the most suitable to produce acids and alkanes from CFP of PM; and acids, ketones, and aromatics from CFP of Sida. The high production of ketones from PM and alkanes from Sida was observed with Na2CO3 catalyst. The ZrO2 catalyst indicated the high aromatics production from PM, whereas alcohols, amines, and others were abundant in bio-oil from CFP of PM using ZSM-5. Overall, PM and Sida can be used to produce fuel or value-added chemicals through CFP.

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Enhancing bio-oil quality and energy recovery by atmospheric hydrodeoxygenation of wheat straw pyrolysis vapors using Pt and Mo-based catalysts

Sustainable Energy & Fuels ◽

10.1039/c9se01254k ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 1991-2008 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Andreas Eschenbacher ◽

Alireza Saraeian ◽

Brent H. Shanks ◽

Peter Arendt Jensen ◽

Chengxin Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wheat Straw ◽

Energy Recovery ◽

Oil Quality ◽

Fast Pyrolysis ◽

Transportation Fuels ◽

Bio Oil

Atmospheric hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of wheat straw fast pyrolysis vapors was studied as a promising route for the production of renewable liquid transportation fuels.

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Impact of Miscanthus x giganteus senescence times on fast pyrolysis bio-oil quality

Bioresource Technology ◽

10.1016/j.biortech.2012.11.069 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 129 ◽

pp. 335-342 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

M. Mos ◽

S.W. Banks ◽

D.J. Nowakowski ◽

P.R.H. Robson ◽

A.V. Bridgwater ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oil Quality ◽

Fast Pyrolysis ◽

Miscanthus X Giganteus ◽

Bio Oil

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Selectively Improving the Bio-Oil Quality by Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis of Heavy-Metal-Polluted Biomass: Take Copper (Cu) as an Example

Environmental Science & Technology ◽

10.1021/es204681y ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 46 (14) ◽

pp. 7849-7856 ◽

Cited By ~ 93

Author(s):

Wu-Jun Liu ◽

Ke Tian ◽

Hong Jiang ◽

Xue-Song Zhang ◽

Hong-Sheng Ding ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metal ◽

Oil Quality ◽

Fast Pyrolysis ◽

Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis ◽

Bio Oil

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Optimization of two steps pretreatment techniques on lignin elimination in wheat straw to improve the bio-oil quality

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING ◽

10.15740/has/ijae/13.2/195-211 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 195-211

Author(s):

A.K. Verma ◽

Shobhit Lakhera ◽

Khan Chand ◽

Ashutosh Dubey ◽

T.K. Bhattacharya

Keyword(s):

Response Surface Methodology ◽

Wheat Straw ◽

Lignin Content ◽

Oil Quality ◽

Fast Pyrolysis ◽

Reducing Sugar ◽

Cross Linking ◽

Glucose Content ◽

Enzymatic Pretreatment ◽

Bio Oil

Cross-linking of degraded lignin components present to bio-oil increases the density and causes instability during storage. Bio-oil quality and quantity from wheat straw was improved by alkaline and enzymatic treatment before pyrolysis. Alkaline pretreatment reduced the lignin content from 18 per cent to 10 per cent. Enzymatic pretreatment using -glucosidase and cellulase in ratio 5:10, 10:10, 15:10 U for 24, 48, 72 h was optimized by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and eliminated 3.1 per cent lignin. The maximum reducing sugar and glucose content was found 24.2 g/L and 15.488 g/L, respectively. Bio-oil yield by fast pyrolysis of treated and untreated wheat straw was 30 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively. Bio-oil of the treated wheat straw exhibited increased in pH, higher density and decreased in viscosity. The flash point of bio-oil from treated wheat straw was very close to commercial diesel. Bio-oil was characterized by FTIR and GC-MS analysis.

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Optimization of microwave-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment and its effect on pyrolytic oil quality obtained by an auger reactor

Biofuel Research Journal ◽

10.18331/brj2021.8.1.3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 1316-1329

Author(s):

Brenda J. Álvarez-Chávez ◽

Stéphane Godbout ◽

Vijaya Raghavan

Keyword(s):

Black Spruce ◽

Oil Quality ◽

Fast Pyrolysis ◽

Chemical Extraction ◽

Physicochemical Composition ◽

Microwave Assisted ◽

Bio Oil ◽

Auger Reactor ◽

The One

Microwave-assisted hydrothermal (MHT) treatment of biomass has received significant attention owing to energy efficiency during internal energy transfer and the additional benefits to the hydrochar produced in terms of physicochemical composition. Therefore, this study proposes the combination of MHT pretreatment with the fast pyrolysis process, to evaluate and optimize the effect of this treatment on the quality of the hydrochar and, consequently, on the quality of the bio-oil. The optimization of MHT treatment using black spruce was carried out, followed by fast pyrolysis of the hydrochar produced under optimal conditions in an auger reactor at 550 °C to obtain a high-quality bio-oil. As a result, the pretreated biomass showed on the one hand a significant decrease in the ash content by 58% and 43% in the content of the extractives. While on the other hand, the obtained hydrochar showed an increase in the availability of cellulose by 18.5% as a consequence of the reduction in the content of hemicellulose. Accordingly, hydrochar showed an increase in thermal stability during pyrolysis and it produced a higher total bio-oil yield, increasing by 24%. Most importantly, the oil obtained showed a 35% reduction in moisture content. Chemical composition of the oil was qualitatively examined through GC-MS analysis. It was observed that the bio-oil showed a dramatic increase in the relative content of levoglucosan, by 127%. A bio-oil with the characteristics obtained would be a suitable candidate for use in boilers for heating purposes or chemical extraction.

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