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Understanding bio-oil aging and competing thermal reactions with the use of continuous in situ NMR and EPR techniques


EMSL Project ID
48173

Abstract

Biomass is the most readily available renewable source of liquid transportation fuel. According to DOE, fast pyrolysis followed by catalytic upgrading is projected to be the most cost effective among the different thermochemical routes in the mid-term time frame1. This model consists of a distributed pyrolysis system, i.e. producing bio-oil at locations in close proximity to the biomass source and then transporting these to a centralized hydrotreater that is close to an existing refinery infrastructure. However, this proposed system has challenges that still need to be overcome, including: (1) polymerization (aging) reactions that occur in pyrolysis oil during storage; (2) reaction pathways of competing thermal reactions that cause catalyst deactivation through extended time on stream or that produce plugs that necessitate operation shutdowns.
This proposal will use in situ NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) spectroscopy techniques to monitor bio-oil reactions to gain better understanding of the mechanistic pathways involved in: (1) aging of bio-oil during storage and its proposed mitigation; and, (2) catalytic bio-oil pre-stabilization. It is expected that information on the optimal characteristics of a stable bio-oil will be determined by these techniques. This important finding can inform efforts that aim to develop transgenic plants that are more suitable for fuel production as well as current biomass thermochemical conversion routes.

Project Details

Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2013-12-02
End Date
2014-09-30
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Mariefel Olarte
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Team Members

Asanga Padmaperuma
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Alan Zacher
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Douglas Elliott
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory