Pyrolytic Bio-fuels Produced from Forestry and Agricultural Feedstocks By Philip H. Steele Forest Products Department Forest and Wildlife Research Center Mississippi State University

Bio-oil production: Bio-oil results from fast pyrolysis of cellulosic biomass Particles are less than or equal to 2 mm Absence of oxygen Applied temperatures 400 to 550oC Rapid cooling

MSU pyrolysis Gen II pyrolysis reactor: Raw bio-oil yield = 65% on dry wt basis. 1 dry ton biomass = 1300 lb bio-oil and gives 130 gal/dt

What are bio-oils? Bio-oils are water emulsive suspensions of the thermally fractured biomass chemical structure. Each bio-oil typically contains more than 100 chemical compounds. Not an oil as it is immiscible in petroleum oils

An MSU objective is to license its pyrolysis reactor design: Revised auger design will allow an estimated 4-ton/day biomass throughput Our two industrial partners are underway with the new design for 10-ton/day reactors

Bio-oil challenges: Oxygen in bio-oil: 45-50% by weight Incorporated in oxygenated compounds Causes most of the negative properties: Variable viscosity High acidity Pungent odor Low energy density (50% that of No. 2 fuel oil)

Bio-oil chemical composition by group: Wt, % 2-5 Phenols 20-30 Water 1-4 Furfurals 15-30 Lignin compounds Alcohols 10-20 Aldehydes 1-5 Ketones 10-15 Carboxylic acids 5-10 Carbohydrates 7

Upgrading bio-oil : Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) Lignocellulosic biodiesel (L-B)

Upgrading bio-oil by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO): Hydrogen Oxygen Hydro-carbons Water Water + HDO bio-oil HDO bio-oil captures 72% of raw bio-oil energy value; it is a mix of hydrocarbons ranging from napthalene through diesel weights.

Packed bed reactor production of MSU HDO will begin next week: Water % = 0 Oxygen % = 0 Acid value = 0.1 HHV = 44.8 Diesel 30% Gasoline 35% Jet fuel 32% Other 3%

FTIR spectrum; diesel vs raw and HDO bio-oils:

Blended with petroleum hydrocarbons HDO bio-oil can be: blended with hydrocarbons; refined in current petroleum refineries: Blended with petroleum hydrocarbons Refined in petroleum refineries 5% HDO

SERC co-director, Glenn Steele, demostrating HDO bio-oil/gasoline blend informal engine test:

Esterified bio-oil is a mildly upgraded bio-oil to be utilized as a boiler fuel: Property Raw bio-oil Esterified Acid value ( mg KOH/g) 89 46 Viscosity (cSt @ 40 oC) 14.53 7.37 HHV (MJ/kg) 17.5 23.8

Distributed bio-oil manufacture will reduce transportation costs: Regional pyrolysis center Mobile pyrolysis reactors Bio-oil upgrading Disaster mobile pyrolysis reactors Industrially captive pyrolysis reactors

Forest Products Department Forest and Wildlife Research Center Hydrocarbon Biofuels Produced via Pyrolysis of Pine Timber and Harvest Residues By Philip H. Steele Sanjeev Gajjela and Fei Yu Forest Products Department Forest and Wildlife Research Center Mississippi State University