(434a) Fast Pyrolysis for the Production of Bio-Oil From Biomass

To achieve long term sustainability of a biomass-based transport fuel infrastructure will require that alternate feedstocks outside the food chain be developed for conversion to biofuels. One route to this end includes fast pyrolysis of biomass. Fast pyrolysis can produce a 70% yield by weight of a liquid product. The product, called bio-oil, is a fluid mixture of depolymerized and partially decomposed biomass components and water. In the industry, bio-oil has been used directly as a burner fuel, but it also has potential as a quality fuel or chemical feedstock through catalytic hydroprocessing. Pyrolysis also provides a useful mechanism for distributed production of biofuels, and, through collection and transportation of the liquid products to a central processing facility, allows upgrading at a more efficient and cost-effective larger scale. This effort may rely on a number of different sources of biomass feedstock for fast pyrolysis. This research involves the investigation of various types of biomass in a fast pyrolysis and subsequent evaluation of the varying nature of the bio-oil that can be produced. PNNL-SA-66388