Fast pyrolysis of sweet soghum bagasse in a fluidized bed

Conference · Fri Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:140210

Palm, M ^[1]; Peacocke, C; Bridgewater, A V ^[2]; Piskorz, J; Scott, D S ^[3]

---

1. Chalmers Institute of Technology, Gotheborg (Sweden)
2. Aston Univ., Birmingham (United Kingdom)
3. Univ. of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada)

Samples of Italian sorghum bagasse were dried and ground and then pyrolyzed in the Waterloo Fast Pyrolysis bench scale reactor unit. Results were typical of agricultural grasses of this kind, and resembled those obtained from similar tests of sugar cane bagasse. A maximum liquid yield (dry feed basis) of 68% by weight of dry feed was achieved, with a corresponding char yield (ash included) of 16%. The high ash content of the bagasse (9.2%) gave a char with a very high ash content ({approx}50%), with calcium as the most abundant cation. Yields of hydroxyacetaldehyde were comparable to those obtained from softwoods. Deionized bagasse gave significant yields of anhydrosugars on pyrolysis. Sorghum bagasse appears to be a suitable feedstock, either for pyrolysis to yield an alternative fuel oil, or after pretreatment and pyrolysis, to yield a solution of fermentable sugars.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
• OSTI ID: 140210
• Report Number(s): NREL/CP--200-5768-Vol.2; CONF-9308106--Vol.2; ON: DE94000435
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
ASH CONTENT
BAGASSE
BIOMASS
CALCIUM
FLUIDIZED BEDS
FUEL OILS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
LIQUID FUELS
PYROLYSIS
SACCHARIDES
SORGHUM
SUGAR CANE
SYNTHETIC FUELS
YIELDS