(628b) Hydrodeoxygenation of Pinyon Juniper Catalytic Pyrolysis Oil to Hydrocarbon Fuels

As a renewable source, biomass is an essential option for diminishing dependence on conventional fossil fuel energy sources. Pyrolysis is a promising technology for the conversion of biomass into liquid fuels. However, several challenges associated with using pyrolysis oils such as their high acidity and low energy content inhibit their direct use as transportation fuels. We conducted a batch hydrodeoxygenation of pinyon juniper catalytic pyrolysis oil using Ni/SiO₂-Al₂O₃ catalyst to improve the following properties of the oil: heating value, acidity, oxygen content, water content, and viscosity. During the hydrogenation process, the influence of four experimental factors; temperature, catalyst loading, residence time, and hydrogen pressure was investigated. Once hydrogenation was completed, gas, coke, and a liquid product of two immiscible phases (aqueous and organic), were obtained. Maximum hydrogenation was obtained at a reaction temperature of 450 °C with catalyst loading of 20% (wt. % of total bio-oil feedstock), an initial hydrogen cold pressure of 1000 psi and a residence time of 30 minutes. At these conditions, bio-oil was deoxygenated by 96.17%. After hydrodeoxygenation, the higher heating value of the organic liquid product was 45.68 MJ/kg compared to 27.64 MJ/kg of the bio-oil. The water content of the organic liquid was zero compared to 1.63% of the bio-oil using Karl Fischer titration method. The aqueous fraction of the liquid product was 99.61% water. Furthermore, pH of the organic liquid was 6.87 compared to 3.46 of the starting material. The viscosity of bio oil was119.37 cP while it was 1.27 cP for the organic liquid product. The hydrogenation process provided a means of producing upgraded bio-oil, which possessed properties similar to that of gasoline.