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Understanding deactivation pathways in bio-oil upgrading with the use of in situ NMR and EPR techniques


EMSL Project ID
48420

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 frame. 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. Extended catalyst lifetimes are necessary to improve the cost-effectiveness of this process.
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. Surface analysis techniques such as IR, SEM and XPS will be used to characterize the catalysts. It is expected that information on the optimal characteristics of a stable bio-oil as well as insight in designing more robust catalysts will be determined by these techniques.

Project Details

Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2014-10-01
End Date
2016-09-30
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Mariefel Olarte
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Team Members

Donghai Mei
Institution
Tiangong University

Asanga Padmaperuma
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Alan Zacher
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Douglas Elliott
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Related Publications

Olarte MV, Cort JR, Schmidt AJ, Zacher AH, Hallen RT. "Comparison of bio-oils derived from fast pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction by 2D NMR". Oral Presentation. TCS 2014. Denver, CO. Sept. 2014.
Sudasinghe N, JR Cort, RT Hallen, MV Olarte, AJ Schmidt, and T Schaub. 2014. "Hydrothermal Liquefaction Oil and Hydrotreated Product from Pine Feedstock Characterized by Heteronuclear Two-Dimensional NMR Spectroscopy and FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry." Fuel 137:60-69. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2014.07.069