Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of dehydrated liquid phase pyrolysis oil

Abstract

Biomass has been considered as promising energy source that should be able to suffice the increasing energy demand in the future. Therefore, new biomass utilization technologies and concepts are highly desirable. This paper contributes to the understanding of liquid phase pyrolysis oil upgrading that differs from the intensively investigated fast pyrolysis oil. Two new approaches, which were never reported in literature before, where investigated in this paper. At first, the liquid phase pyrolysis oil was dehydrated to lower transportation costs and increase energy density and efficiency of further upgrading steps. At second, a catalyst screening for hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of dehydrated liquid phase pyrolysis oil was conducted in a batch reactor. Neither the dehydration nor the HDO of dehydrated liquid phase pyrolysis oil were reported in literature by now. The activity of the HDO catalysts Ru/C, Pt/C, and Pd/C as well as a Ni-based catalyst was compared. HDO was investigated at 250 °C and 100 bar and at 300 °C and 150 bar. HDO of dehydrated liquid phase pyrolysis oil was observed with all catalysts. The Pt/C catalyst was found to be most promising with respect to the oil yield (56 wt.%), the deoxygenation ratio (65%), and hydrogen content (8.6 wt.%). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.