Catalytic hydroprocessing of biomass fast pyrolysis bio‐oil to produce hydrocarbon products

Abstract

Catalytic hydroprocessing has been applied to biomass fast pyrolysis liquid product (bio‐oil) in a bench‐scale continuous‐flow fixed‐bed reactor system. The intent of the research was to develop process technology to convert the bio‐oil into a petroleum refinery feedstock to supplement fossil energy resources and to displace imported feedstock. The project was a cooperative research and development agreement among UOP LLC, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). This article is focused on the process experimentation and product analysis undertaken at PNNL. This article describes the experimental methods used and relates the results of the product analyses. A range of catalyst formulations were tested over a range of operating parameters including temperature, pressure, and flow rate with bio‐oil derived from several different biomass feedstocks. Effects of liquid hourly space velocity and catalyst bed temperature were assessed. Details of the process results were presented included product yields and hydrogen consumption. Detailed analysis of the products were provided including elemental composition, chemical functional type determined by mass spectrometry, and product descriptors such as density, viscosity, and total acid number. In conclusion, this article provides an understanding of the efficacy of hydroprocessing as applied to bio‐oil. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2009