Flash pyrolysis of biomass with reactive and non-reactive gases

Technical Report · Thu Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6952236

Steinberg, M; Fallon, P T; Sundaram, M S

The process chemistry of the flash pyrolysis of biomass (wood) with the reactive gases, H/sub 2/ and CH/sub 4/ and with the non-reactive gases He and N/sub 2/ is being determined in an 1'' downflow tubular reactor at pressures from 20 to 1000 psi and temperatures from 600 to 1000/sup 0/C. With hydrogen, flash hydropyrolysis leads to high yields of ethylene, benzene and CO which can be used for the production of valuable chemical feedstocks and methanol transportation fuel. At reactor conditions of 50 psi and 1000/sup 0/C and approximately 1 sec residence time, the ethylene yield based on pine wood carbon conversion is 27%, for benzene it is 25% and for CO the yield is 39%, indicating that over 90% of the carbon in pine is converted to valuable products. Pine wood produces higher yields of hydrocarbon products than Douglas fir wood. The yield of ethylene is 2.3 times higher with methane than with helium or nitrogen, thus indicating a free radical reaction between CH/sub 4/ and the pyrolyzed wood. There appears to be no net production or consumption of methane. A preliminary process design and analysis indicate an economically competitive system for the production of ethylene, benzene and methanol based on the methanolysis of wood. 7 references, 13 figures, 1 table.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 6952236
• Report Number(s): BNL-34510; ON: DE84011545
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
090122* -- Hydrocarbon Fuels-- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass-- (1976-1989)
140504 -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Biomass Production & Conversion-- (-1989)
ALKANES
ALKENES
AROMATICS
BENZENE
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONIFERS
DECOMPOSITION
DIAGRAMS
ELEMENTS
ETHYLENE
FLOWSHEETS
FLUIDS
GASES
HELIUM
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN
METHANE
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PINES
PLANTS
PYROLYSIS
RARE GASES
SYNTHESIS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TREES
WOOD