ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Valorisation of bio-oil resulting from fast pyrolysis of wood

Paul F. L. P. Vanderauwera and Dorine M. C. Wambeke

Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Salesianenlaan 30, B 2660, Hoboken, Belgium

E-mail: paul.vanderauwera@uantwerpen.be

Abstract: Bio-oil resulting from the pyrolysis of lignocellulose is a complex mixture of polar low molecular mass oxygenated compounds of various functionalities and non-polar high molecular mass lignin derivatives. Several approaches to the upgrading of bio-oil are currently in progress. This study investigates the valorisation of crude bio-oil using physical and chemical methods. The effects of methanol addition on some properties of the bio-oil are investigated. Stable bio-oil/diesel oil emulsions are produced by the addition of surfactants with a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance value of 5–6. An alternative approach towards the upgrading of bio-oil is the hydrotreatment of the water-soluble fraction of bio-oil. Two-stage hydroprocessing with noble-metal catalysts Ru/C and Pt/C increases the intrinsic hydrogen content of the water-soluble fraction. The results show that the thermally unstable components including sugars, ketones and aldehydes are readily converted to diols and alcohols at pressures of 5 MPa. These observations can be explained by a set of reaction pathways for the compounds identified.

Keywords: lignocellulosic biomass – pyrolysis – bio-oil – upgrading – hydrotreatment

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-014-0541-y

Chemical Papers 68 (9) 1205–1212 (2014)