Development of an extruder-feeder biomass direct liquefaction process
- Arizona Univ., Tucson, AZ (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
As an abundant, renewable, domestic energy resource, biomass could help the United States reduce its dependence on imported oil. Biomass is the only renewable energy technology capable of addressing the national need for liquid transportation fuels. Thus, there is an incentive to develop economic conversion processes for converting biomass, including wood, into liquid fuels. Through research sponsored by the US DOE's Biomass Thermochemical Conversion Program, the University of Arizona has developed a unique biomass direct liquefaction system. The system features a modified single-screw extruder capable of pumping solid slurries containing as high as 60 wt% wood flour in wood oil derived vacuum bottoms at pressures up to 3000 psi. The extruder-feeder has been integrated with a unique reactor by the University to form a system which offers potential for improving high pressure biomass direct liquefaction technology. The extruder-feeder acts simultaneously as both a feed preheater and a pumping device for injecting wood slurries into a high pressure reactor in the biomass liquefaction process. An experimental facility was constructed and following shakedown operations, wood crude oil was produced by mid-1985. By July 1988, a total of 57 experimental continuous biomass liquefaction runs were made using White Birch wood feedstock. Good operability was achieved at slurry feed rates up to 30 lb/hr, reactor pressures from 800 to 3000 psi and temperatures from 350{degree}C to 430{degree}C under conditions covering a range of carbon monoxide feed rates and sodium carbonate catalyst addition. Crude wood oils containing as little as 6--10 wt% residual oxygen were produced. 38 refs., 82 figs., 26 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Arizona Univ., Tucson, AZ (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6020898
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-7830-Vol.2; ON: DE92003844
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BIOMASS
LIQUEFACTION
WOOD OILS
PRODUCTION
BIOMASS CONVERSION PLANTS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CHEMICAL REACTORS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
PROGRESS REPORT
SODIUM CARBONATES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WOOD
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CARBONATES
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
DOCUMENT TYPES
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
NUMERICAL DATA
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
090900* - Biomass Fuels- Processing- (1990-)