Plant variability and bio-fuel properties
- National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
Thermochemically converting biomass feedstocks to fuels is one of the major thrusts of renewable energy research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Among several thermochemical routes is the fast pyrolysis process which produces liquid fuels from woody and herbaceous biomass feedstocks. Because of the large variability in the composition of biomass feedstocks due to plant variety and environmental factors, it is important to assess how these variabilities affect the properties of thermochemical liquid fuels (bio-oils) produced from these resources. Similar varieties of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) that were grown at three different locations and three hybrid poplar clones that were grown at one location were used in these studies. The feedstocks were pyrolyzed in a fluidized bed reactor at 500{degrees}C. The gas products were analyzed on-line and the liquid products were analyzed for elemental composition and higher heating values. Apart from small difference in the yield of char/ash, the yields of pyrolysis oils and gases were similar for switchgrass feedstocks grown at all three locations. The char/ash yields ranged from 21.1 to 22.9%; total liquids (organic liquids + water) yields ranged from 59%-60.5%; and the gas yields ranged from 11%-12% (wt). The higher heating values (HHVs) of the oils were similar (24.3-24.6 MJ/kg). For the hybrid poplar feedstocks, total liquids (65%-69%), char/ash (10%-11%), and gas yields (15.6%-17%) were similar for all three poplar clones; however, the elemental composition and the HHVs of the pyrolysis oils had statistically significant differences. The NC5260 pyrolysis oils had lower HHV (22.0{+-}0.5 MG/kg) compared to the DN clones (23.2{+-}0.3 MJ/kg). The yields of total liquids and organics for the three clones were higher than those for the switchgrass feedstocks. The gas yields for the hybrid poplar clones were higher than for the switchgrass, but had compositions similar to those of the switchgrass feedstocks.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 115332
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/CP-200-8098; CONF-9508104-; ON: DE95009230; TRN: 95:006736-0113
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. meeting on biomass of the Americas, Portland, OR (United States), 21-24 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]; Related Information: Is Part Of Second biomass conference of the Americas: Energy, environment, agriculture, and industry. Proceedings; PB: 1741 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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