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Journal ArticleDOI

Pyrolysis of Wood/Biomass for Bio-oil: A Critical Review

10 Mar 2006-Energy & Fuels (American Chemical Society)-Vol. 20, Iss: 3, pp 848-889
TL;DR: A review of the recent developments in the wood pyrolysis and reports the characteristics of the resulting bio-oils, which are the main products of fast wood pyrotechnics, can be found in this paper.
Abstract: Fast pyrolysis utilizes biomass to produce a product that is used both as an energy source and a feedstock for chemical production. Considerable efforts have been made to convert wood biomass to liquid fuels and chemicals since the oil crisis in mid-1970s. This review focuses on the recent developments in the wood pyrolysis and reports the characteristics of the resulting bio-oils, which are the main products of fast wood pyrolysis. Virtually any form of biomass can be considered for fast pyrolysis. Most work has been performed on wood, because of its consistency and comparability between tests. However, nearly 100 types of biomass have been tested, ranging from agricultural wastes such as straw, olive pits, and nut shells to energy crops such as miscanthus and sorghum. Forestry wastes such as bark and thinnings and other solid wastes, including sewage sludge and leather wastes, have also been studied. In this review, the main (although not exclusive) emphasis has been given to wood. The literature on woo...
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Hydrogen Production by Water−Gas Shift Reaction 4056 4.1.
Abstract: 1.0. Introduction 4044 2.0. Biomass Chemistry and Growth Rates 4047 2.1. Lignocellulose and Starch-Based Plants 4047 2.2. Triglyceride-Producing Plants 4049 2.3. Algae 4050 2.4. Terpenes and Rubber-Producing Plants 4052 3.0. Biomass Gasification 4052 3.1. Gasification Chemistry 4052 3.2. Gasification Reactors 4054 3.3. Supercritical Gasification 4054 3.4. Solar Gasification 4055 3.5. Gas Conditioning 4055 4.0. Syn-Gas Utilization 4056 4.1. Hydrogen Production by Water−Gas Shift Reaction 4056

7,067 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, an updated review on fast pyrolysis of biomass for production of a liquid usually referred to as bio-oil is provided, including the major reaction systems.
Abstract: This paper provides an updated review on fast pyrolysis of biomass for production of a liquid usually referred to as bio-oil. The technology of fast pyrolysis is described including the major reaction systems. The primary liquid product is characterised by reference to the many properties that impact on its use. These properties have caused increasingly extensive research to be undertaken to address properties that need modification and this area is reviewed in terms of physical, catalytic and chemical upgrading. Of particular note is the increasing diversity of methods and catalysts and particularly the complexity and sophistication of multi-functional catalyst systems. It is also important to see more companies involved in this technology area and increased take-up of evolving upgrading processes. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

3,727 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Biomass is an important feedstock for the renewable production of fuels, chemicals, and energy, and it recently surpassed hydroelectric energy as the largest domestic source of renewable energy.
Abstract: Biomass is an important feedstock for the renewable production of fuels, chemicals, and energy. As of 2005, over 3% of the total energy consumption in the United States was supplied by biomass, and it recently surpassed hydroelectric energy as the largest domestic source of renewable energy. Similarly, the European Union received 66.1% of its renewable energy from biomass, which thus surpassed the total combined contribution from hydropower, wind power, geothermal energy, and solar power. In addition to energy, the production of chemicals from biomass is also essential; indeed, the only renewable source of liquid transportation fuels is currently obtained from biomass.

3,644 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Strong acids and bases seem to be the best desorbing agents to produce arsenic concentrates, and some commercial adsorbents which include resins, gels, silica, treated silica tested for arsenic removal come out to be superior.

3,168 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Due to complexity of soil-water system in nature, the effectiveness of biochars on remediation of various organic/inorganic contaminants is still uncertain.

3,163 citations


Cites background or methods from "Pyrolysis of Wood/Biomass for Bio-o..."

  • ...Pyrolysis is generally divided into fast, intermediate, and slow depending on the residence time and temperature (Table 1; Mohan et al., 2006)....

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  • ...However, bioenergy production is dependent on the pyrolysis conditions, in which the slow pyrolysis results in a lower yield of liquid fuel and more biochar, whereas the fast pyrolysis generates more liquid fuel (bio-oil) with relatively less biochar (Mohan et al., 2006)....

    [...]

  • ...Fast pyrolysis with a very short residence time (<2 s) is often used to produce bio-oil from biomass yielding about 75% bio-oil (Mohan et al., 2006)....

    [...]

  • ...The resulting gas mixture is known as synthetic gas or syngas (Mohan et al., 2006)....

    [...]

  • ...Slow and intermediate pyrolysis processes with a residence time of few minutes to several hours or even days are generally favored for biochar 2009), Mohan et al. (2006), and Sohi et al. (2009)]....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an extractive rich upper phase which varies from 10 to 20% of the total product and a bottom phase closely resembling the normal bark free wood product is composed of components such as fatty acids, fatty alcohols, terpenes, resin acids, and terpenoids.
Abstract: Although high liquid yields of a single phase product can be obtained from bark free “white” wood feedstocks by fast pyrolysis processes, lower yields and a two phase product are obtained from feedstocks containing bark and needles as is commonly found with forestry residues. The liquid yield is thus reduced from levels of 70−75 wt % to those of 60−65 wt %. This will have a significant impact on the economic viability of pyrolysis projects in Scandanavia as forestry residues are a major source of raw materials. The forestry residue product is composed of an extractive rich upper phase which varies from 10 to 20% of the total product and a bottom phase closely resembling the normal bark free wood product. Phase separation occurs due to the higher extractive content of the residues which due to their much lower oxygen phase separate. Extractives are composed of components such as fatty acids, fatty alcohols, terpenes, resin acids, and terpenoids which have lower oxygen content than pyrolysis liquid compound...

198 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a coordinated approach to the chemical utilization of lignocellulosic biomass is foreshadowed, whereby ions such as Fe or Cu are incorporated into the biomass to catalyze pyrolytic production of LG and/or LGO, while at the same time generating an increased yield of charcoal.

191 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of various BCO/diesel emulsions on the injection systems of different diesel engines are investigated and compared, and the issue of erosion and/or corrosion of the injector nozzle is examined, and dedicated tests have been carried out.
Abstract: The use of biomass derived pyrolysis oils, bio crude oil (BCO), in diesel engine requires deep modifications to the engine, such as the adoption of dual fuel systems and pilot injection: BCO/diesel emulsions are expected to significantly reduce the need for these adaptations. This paper describe the effects of various BCO/diesel emulsions on the injection systems of different diesel engines. Materials used for injectors’ nozzles and needles are investigated and compared. The issue of the erosion and/or corrosion of the injector nozzle is examined, and dedicated tests have been carried out. The experimental results suggested that corrosion accelerated by the high velocity turbulent flow in the spray channels is the dominant factor. A stainless steel nozzle has been built and successfully tested. Long term validation is however still needed.

189 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a fixed bed pyrolysis reactor under vacuum was used to pyrolys the cashew nut shell (CNS) to obtain a combustible oil fraction (oil CO2) as well as a noncombustible aqueous fraction.
Abstract: Biomass in the form of cashew nut shell represents a renewable and abundant source of energy in India. Cashew nut shell (CNS) was pyrolysed in a fixed bed pyrolysis reactor under vacuum. The CNS on heating upto 175°C produced dark brown oil (oil CO1), which was extracted, and the CNS, after the removal of oil CO1, was pyrolysed under vacuum. The pyrolysis vapours were condensed to get a combustible oil fraction (oil CO2) as well as a noncombustible aqueous fraction. The detailed chemical compositional analysis of both the oils as well as aqueous fractions were carried out by various techniques like liquid column chromatography 1 HNMR , 13 CNMR , FTIR, GC-MS. The CNS oils (CO1 and CO2) were found to be a renewable natural resource of unsaturated phenols with long linear chains and marked absence of anacardic acid. Unlike other bio oils, the CNS oils have been found to be fairly stable. The oils were completely miscible in diesel and were found to have low corrosivity towards Copper and Stainless steel, and thus promise to be a potential fuel.

187 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the stability and ageing of the bio-oil and mixtures thereof were evaluated and it was found that the molecular weight increase after heating the biooil for one week at 80°C was equivalent to keeping the sample for one year at room temperature.
Abstract: This paper completes a study the ultimate objective of which was to provide background information on biomass pyrolysis oils (bio-oils) regarding their use as a gas turbine liquid fuel. The bio-oil was obtained by vacuum pyrolysis of softwood bark residues. The stability and ageing of the bio-oil and mixtures thereof were evaluated. The samples were stored at 40, 50 and 80°C for up to 168 h and at room temperature for up to one year, period after which the phase separation time, viscosity, solid and water content and average molecular weight were measured. The results indicated that the properties of the bio-oil were significantly altered when the bio-oil was heated at 80°C, but that the variations after heating at 40 and 50°C were not critical. It was found that the molecular weight increase after heating the bio-oil for one week at 80°C was equivalent to keeping the sample for one year at room temperature. The addition of aqueous phase to the bio-oil lowered its thermal stability significantly. A rapid phase separation occurred after heating at 80°C and, therefore, the total aqueous phase concentration in the bio-oil must be limited to 15%. Ageing of the raw bio-oil at room temperature resulted in a dramatic viscosity increase during the first 65 days, period after which a plateau was reached. The addition of methanol to the bio-oil was beneficial for the bio-oil properties as well as for the stability of the bio-oil and its mixtures. Methanol dissolved some structured components of the bio-oil and thus reduced the viscosity increase rate. Moreover, the addition of methanol to the bio-oil/pyrolytic aqueous phase mixtures delayed the phase separation process.

187 citations