Transportation fuels from biomass via fast pyrolysis and hydroprocessing

Journal Article · Sat Sep 21 04:00:00 EDT 2013 · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, 2(5):525-533

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/wene.74· OSTI ID:1091439

Elliott, Douglas C.

Biomass is a renewable source of carbon, which could provide a means to reduce the greenhouse gas impact from fossil fuels in the transportation sector. Biomass is the only renewable source of liquid fuels, which could displace petroleum-derived products. Fast pyrolysis is a method of direct thermochemical conversion (non-bioconversion) of biomass to a liquid product. Although the direct conversion product, called bio-oil, is liquid; it is not compatible with the fuel handling systems currently used for transportation. Upgrading the product via catalytic processing with hydrogen gas, hydroprocessing, is a means that has been demonstrated in the laboratory. By this processing the bio-oil can be deoxygenated to hydrocarbons, which can be useful replacements of the hydrocarbon distillates in petroleum. While the fast pyrolysis of biomass is presently commercial, the upgrading of the liquid product by hydroprocessing remains in development, although it is moving out of the laboratory into scaled-up process demonstration systems.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1091439
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-90752; BM0107000
• Journal Information: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, 2(5):525-533, Journal Name: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, 2(5):525-533
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

bio-oil
biomass
catalysis
hydroprocessing
pyrolysis