(188a) Liquefaction of Solid Southern Pine Wood with Water, Hydrogen, and Catalysts at High Temperature and Pressure

Solid biomass will be liquefied with solvents, hydrogen-nitrogen mixture, and catalysts, using a batch reactor at high temperature and pressure. Liquefied biomass will be upgraded with hydrogen ?nitrogen mixture and formulated catalysts or commercial catalysts readily available to petroleum refineries. The research will involve investigating effectiveness of solvents, catalysts, and hydrogen-nitrogen mixture for the liquefaction of solid biomass. Efficiency of various solid biomass feedstocks for liquefied biomass production will be evaluated under various experimental liquefaction conditions. Water will be used as a main solvent, whereas hydrogen donor solvents such as 1-methyl-naphthaline, tetralin and isopropanol in small amounts, homogeneous catalysts, and other heterogeneous catalysts will be added to water-biomass slurries. Water-insoluble liquefied biomass products will be analyzed by measuring their oxygen contents and viscosity values. The liquefied biomass obtained from the liquefaction process will be deoxygenated, isomerized, and hydro-cracked with hydrogen-nitrogen mixture and catalysts such as in-house formulated catalysts and commercial catalysts to reduce their oxygen contents, lower their viscosity values, and decrease average molecular weights.