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Title: Catalytic Upgrading of Biomass Pyrolysis Vapors at Bench Scale with Platinum on Titania

Abstract

Vapor phase upgrading can produce a liquid of lower oxygen and higher energy density than can fast pyrolysis alone. Therefore, it is anticipated that catalytic pyrolysis followed by a single stage of hydrotreating will be a more cost-effective route to hydrocarbon fuels than fast pyrolysis with multiple-stage or more-severe hydrotreating. To this end, a bench-scale bubbling fluidized bed pyrolyzer was operated at 150 g/h feed rate of pine flour with a 100 g fixed-bed catalytic upgrader. A 0.5% Pt/TiO2 catalyst produced a lower oxygen (< 20%) liquid at 40% carbon efficiency at 400 degrees C and biomass-to-catalyst ratio (B:C) of 3 for numerous cycles. The catalyst was regenerated and reused by oxidation with air and reduction with hydrogen. The oxidation and reduction times were reduced to 2 h and 1 h respectively without compromising performance or catalyst temperature control. Increasing the pyrolysis temperature from 500 degrees C to 550 degrees C allowed operation at B:C greater than 3 at comparable performance. Performance was generally similar to 2% Pt/TiO2 but at reduced catalyst cost. Projected costs are < $4/gallon of gasoline blendstock. Responses to other parameter changes and prospects for further improvements will be discussed.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office
OSTI Identifier:
1576918
Report Number(s):
NREL/PR-5100-74670
DOE Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: Presented at the 2018 AIChE Annual Meeting, 28 October - 2 November 2018, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
09 BIOMASS FUELS; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; CCTPL; biomass; biofuel; fast pyrolysis; hydrotreating; hydrocarbon fuels

Citation Formats

French, Richard J, Iisa, Maarit K, Orton, Kellene A, Palmer, Scott E, Fowler, Matthew, and Mukarakate, Calvin. Catalytic Upgrading of Biomass Pyrolysis Vapors at Bench Scale with Platinum on Titania. United States: N. p., 2019. Web.
French, Richard J, Iisa, Maarit K, Orton, Kellene A, Palmer, Scott E, Fowler, Matthew, & Mukarakate, Calvin. Catalytic Upgrading of Biomass Pyrolysis Vapors at Bench Scale with Platinum on Titania. United States.
French, Richard J, Iisa, Maarit K, Orton, Kellene A, Palmer, Scott E, Fowler, Matthew, and Mukarakate, Calvin. 2019. "Catalytic Upgrading of Biomass Pyrolysis Vapors at Bench Scale with Platinum on Titania". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1576918.
@article{osti_1576918,
title = {Catalytic Upgrading of Biomass Pyrolysis Vapors at Bench Scale with Platinum on Titania},
author = {French, Richard J and Iisa, Maarit K and Orton, Kellene A and Palmer, Scott E and Fowler, Matthew and Mukarakate, Calvin},
abstractNote = {Vapor phase upgrading can produce a liquid of lower oxygen and higher energy density than can fast pyrolysis alone. Therefore, it is anticipated that catalytic pyrolysis followed by a single stage of hydrotreating will be a more cost-effective route to hydrocarbon fuels than fast pyrolysis with multiple-stage or more-severe hydrotreating. To this end, a bench-scale bubbling fluidized bed pyrolyzer was operated at 150 g/h feed rate of pine flour with a 100 g fixed-bed catalytic upgrader. A 0.5% Pt/TiO2 catalyst produced a lower oxygen (< 20%) liquid at 40% carbon efficiency at 400 degrees C and biomass-to-catalyst ratio (B:C) of 3 for numerous cycles. The catalyst was regenerated and reused by oxidation with air and reduction with hydrogen. The oxidation and reduction times were reduced to 2 h and 1 h respectively without compromising performance or catalyst temperature control. Increasing the pyrolysis temperature from 500 degrees C to 550 degrees C allowed operation at B:C greater than 3 at comparable performance. Performance was generally similar to 2% Pt/TiO2 but at reduced catalyst cost. Projected costs are < $4/gallon of gasoline blendstock. Responses to other parameter changes and prospects for further improvements will be discussed.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1576918}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Nov 25 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Mon Nov 25 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}

Conference:
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