Hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol on noble metal catalysts

Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) performed at high temperatures and pressures is one alternative for upgrading of pyrolysis oils from biomass. Studies on zirconia-supported mono- and bimetallic noble metal (Rh, Pd, Pt) catalysts showed these catalysts to be active and selective in the hydrogenation of guaiacol (GUA) at 100 °C and in the HDO of GUA at 300 °C. GUA was used as model compound for wood-based pyrolysis oil. At the temperatures tested, the performance of the noble metal catalysts, especially the Rh-containing catalysts was similar or better than that of the conventional sulfided CoMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst. The carbon deposition on the noble metal catalysts was lower than that on the sulfided CoMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst. The performance of the Rh-containing catalysts in the reactions of GUA at the tested conditions demonstrates their potential in the upgrading of wood-based pyrolysis oils.     

Steam Reforming of Bio‐Oil for Hydrogen Production: Effect of Ni‐Co Bimetallic Catalysts

Various Ni‐Co bimetallic catalysts were prepared by incorporating sol‐gel and wet impregnation methods. A laboratory‐scale fixed‐bed reactor was employed to investigate their effects on hydrogen production from steam reforming of bio‐oil. The catalyst causes the condensation reaction of bio‐oil, which generates coke and inhibits the formation of gas at temperatures of 250 °C and 350 °C. At 450 °C and above the transformation of bio‐oil is initiated and gaseous products are generated. The catalyst also can promote the generation of H₂ as well as the transformation of CO and CH₄ and plays an active role in steam reforming of bio‐oil or gaseous products from bio‐oil pyrolysis. The developed 3Ni9Co/Ce‐Zr‐O catalyst achieved maximum hydrogen yield and lowest coke formation rate and provided a better stability than a commercial Ni‐based catalyst.     

Pyrolytic lignin removal for the valorization of biomass pyrolysis crude bio‐oil by catalytic transformation

BACKGROUND: The catalytic processes for valorizing the bio‐oil obtained from lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis face the problem that a great amount of carbonaceous material is deposited on the catalyst due to the polymerization of phenol‐derived compounds in the crude bio‐oil. This carbonaceous material blocks the catalytic bed and contributes to rapid catalyst deactivation. This paper studies an on‐line two‐step process, in which the first one separates the polymerizable material and produces a reproducible material whose valorization is of commercial interest. RESULTS: The establishment of a step for pyrolytic lignin deposition at 400 °C avoids the blockage of the on‐line catalytic bed and attenuates the deactivation of a HZSM‐5 zeolite based catalyst used for hydrocarbon production. The origin of catalyst deactivation is coke deposition, which has two fractions (thermal and catalytic), whose content is attenuated by prior pyrolytic lignin separation and by co‐feeding methanol. The morphology and properties of the material deposited in the first step (pyrolytic lignin) are similar to lignins obtained as a by‐product in wood pulp manufacturing. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed reaction strategy, with two steps (thermal and catalytic) in series, valorizes the crude bio‐oil by solving the problems caused by the polymerization of phenolic compounds, which are obtained in the pyrolysis of the lignin contained in lignocellulosic biomass. Given that a by‐product (pyrolytic lignin) is obtained with similar properties to the lignin from wood pulping manufacturing, the perspectives for the viability of lignocellulosic biomass valorization are promising, which is essential for furthering its implementation in biorefinery processes. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

The influence of catalyst regeneration on the composition of zeolite-upgraded biomass pyrolysis oils

The composition of oils derived from the on-line, low pressure zeolite upgrading of biomass pyrolysis oils from a fluidized bed pyrolysis unit have been investigated in relation to the regeneration of the zeolite catalyst. The catalyst used was H-ZSM-5 zeolite. The gases were analysed by packed column gas chromatography. The composition of the oils before catalysis and after catalyst upgrading were analysed by liquid chromatography fractionation, followed by coupled gas chromatography—mass spectrometry of each fraction. In particular, the aromatic and oxygenated aromatic species were identified and quantified. In addition, the oils were analysed for their elemental composition and molecular weight range using size exclusion chromatography. Before catalysis the biomass pyrolysis oil was highly oxygenated but after catalysis a highly aromatic oil was formed with high concentrations of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, significant concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were formed. Regeneration of the zeolite catalyst showed that continued regeneration reduced the effectiveness of the catalyst in converting biomass pyrolysis oils to an aromatic product. Elemental analysis of the upgraded oils showed an increase in the oxygen content of the oil with increasing regeneration of the catalyst. The molecular weight range of the oils was found to decrease markedly after catalysis, but continued regeneration of the catalyst increased the molecular weight range of the upgraded oils. Detailed analysis of the uncatalysed oils showed they contained low concentrations of aromatic and PAH species which markedly increased in concentration after catalysis. The overall effect of increasing catalyst regeneration was a decrease in the concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons and PAH. Also as the catalyst was regenerated, the number of methyl groups on the parent single ring aromatic compound or PAH increased. The oxygenated aromatic species in the oil before catalysis were mainly, phenols and benzenediols and their alkylated homologues. After catalysis some of the oxygenated species were reduced and some increased in concentration. A dual mechanistic route is suggested for the formation of aromatics and PAH during the catalytic upgrading of biomass pyrolysis oils: (1) the formation of low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons on the catalyst which then undergo aromatization reactions to produce aromatic hydrocarbons and PAH; (2) deoxygenation of oxygenated compounds found in the non-phenolic fraction of the pyrolysis oils which directly form aromatic compounds.     

新一代高性能渣油加氢催化剂的工业应用

随着原油劣质化趋势的加剧及环保法规的日益严格,渣油加氢技术已成为炼厂提高轻油收率的关键技术,而催化剂是渣油加氢技术的核心。主要介绍了新一代高性能渣油加氢催化剂在中国石油四川石化300万t/a渣油加氢脱硫装置的应用情况。     

Direct catalytic upgrading of biomass pyrolysis vapors by a dual function Ru/TiO2 catalyst

The results of catalytic treatment of vapors exiting a g/min pyrolysis unit before product condensation to the liquid phase using a Ru/TiO₂ catalyst for oak and switchgrass pyrolysis are reported. The pyrolysis is conducted at 500°C and the catalysis at 400°C at atmospheric pressure with a hydrogen partial pressure of 0.58 atm. It is found that the catalytic treatment provides significant conversion of light oxygenates to larger, less oxygenated, molecules and, simultaneously, bio‐oil phenolics are also converted to less oxygenated phenolics with methoxy methyl groups transferred to the ring. The activity of the catalyst gradually diminished with increasing biomass fed to the system. Untreated pyrolysis oil forms a single liquid phase with some tarry material, consistent with the literature, whereas the treated liquid product forms separate oil and aqueous phases, the latter of which is about 80% water. The oil from the treated vapors has a lower initial viscosity with only a small increase upon accelerated aging compared to the untreated product oil, which has a dramatic increase in viscosity after aging. This is indicative of poor oil stability for untreated oil that is further confirmed by large increases in molecular weight, while the treated oil has a small increase in molecular weight after accelerated aging. In an effort to understand compatibility with refinery streams, the solubility of the oils in tetralin was examined. The untreated oil was found to have very limited solubility in tetralin, whereas the treated oil phase was completely soluble except for a small aqueous phase that appeared. There are a number of challenges in developing a high yield process for pyrolysis based conversion of biomass to transportation fuels. The Ru/TiO₂ catalyst used here shows promise for conducting multiple types of favorable reactions in the presence of the full spectrum of primary pyrolysis products that creates significant product stability under mild conditions. This could lead to higher liquid yields of stable, refinery compatible, product oil. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2275–2285, 2013     

Effect of a Ni‐Based Catalyst on Bio‐Oil Upgrading under CO Atmosphere

A novel method of bio‐oil upgrading over Ni‐based catalysts under CO atmosphere and optimum conditions for a Ni/Cu/Zn/Al catalyst were determined. The oxygen content as well as the water content decreased significantly and the pH value of upgraded bio‐oil was higher than that of crude bio‐oil. The physical properties indicate that upgraded bio‐oil was more stable than crude bio‐oil.     

Hydroprocessing of Bio-Oils and Oxygenates to Hydrocarbons. Understanding the Reaction Routes

To produce diesel fuel from renewable organic material such as vegetable oils, it has for a number of years been known that triglycerides can be hydrogenated into linear alkanes in a refinery hydrotreating unit over conventional sulfided hydrodesulfurization catalysts. A number of new reactions occur in the hydrotreater, when a biological component is introduced, and experiments were conducted to obtain a more detailed understanding of these mechanisms. The reaction pathways were studied both in model compound tests and in real feed tests with mixtures of straight-run gas oil and rapeseed oil. In both sets of experiments, the hydrogenation of the oxygen containing compounds was observed to proceed either via a hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) route or via a decarboxylation route. The detailed pathway of the HDO route was further illuminated by studying the hydroprocessing of methyl laurate into n-dodecane. The observed reaction intermediates did not support a simple stepwise hydrogenation of the aldehyde formed after hydrogenation of the connecting oxygen in the ester. Instead, it is proposed that the aldehyde formed is enolized before further hydrogenation. The existence of an enol intermediate was further corroborated by the observation that a ketone lacking α-hydrogen (that cannot be directly enolized) had a much lower reactivity than a corresponding ketone with α-hydrogen. In real feed tests, the complete conversion of rapeseed oil into linear alkanes at mild hydrotreating conditions was demonstrated. From the gas and liquid yields, the relative rates of HDO and decarboxylation were calculated in good agreement with the observed distribution of the n-C₁₇/n-C₁₈ and n-C₂₁/n-C₂₂ formed. The hydrogen consumption associated with each route is deduced, and it was shown that hydrogen consumed in the water-gas-shift and methanization reactions may add significant hydrogen consumption to the decarboxylation route. The products formed exhibited high cetane values and low densities. The challenges of introducing triglycerides in conventional hydrotreating units are discussed. It is concluded that hydrotreating offers a robust and flexible process for converting a wide variety of alternative feedstocks into a green diesel fuel that is directly compatible with existing fuel infrastructure and engine technology.     

Homogeneous Catalytic Hydrogenation of Bio‐Oil and Related Model Aldehydes with RuCl2(PPh3)3

A homogeneous RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ catalyst was prepared for the hydrogenation of bio‐oil to improve its stability and fuel quality. Experiments were first performed on three model aldehydes of acetaldehyde, furfural and vanillin selected to represent the linear aldehydes, oxygen heterocyclic aldehydes and aromatic aldehydes in bio‐oil. The results demonstrated the high hydrogenation capability of this homogeneous catalyst under mild conditions (55–90 °C, 1.3–3.3 MPa). The highest conversion of the three model aldehydes was over 90 %. Furfural and acetaldehyde were singly converted to furfuryl alcohol and ethanol after hydrogenation, while vanillin was mainly converted to vanillin alcohol, together with a small amount of 2‐methoxy‐4‐methylphenol and 2‐methoxyphenol. Further experiments were conducted on a bio‐oil fraction extracted by ethyl acetate and on the whole bio‐oil at 70 °C and 3.3 MPa. Most of the aldehydes were transformed to the corresponding alcohols, and some ketones and compounds with C–C double bond were converted to more stable compounds.     

Upgrading of middle distillate fractions of a syncrude from Athabasca oil sands

Current processes for upgrading bitumen from Athabasca oil sands produce synthetic crudes which are high in aromatics and deficient in hydrogen. As a consequence, middle distillate fractions derived from these syncrudes produce diesel fuels of low cetane number and jet fuels which are hydrogen deficient. Results obtained from bench-scale hydrotreating experiments indicate that quality fuels may be produced from Athabasca syncrudes. Middle distillate fractions from this source were subjected to high-severity hydroprocessing in a continuous-flow reactor unit using conventional hydrotreating catalysts which were pre-sulphided by a mixture of $\text{H}{}_2\text{H}{}_2\text{S}$. Aromatic hydrogenation at high temperatures and pressures was affected by the approach to thermodynamic equilibrium, however, at lower temperatures, in some cases virtually 100% saturation was achieved and treated fractions were found to meet cetane number and jet fuel smoke point requirements. Data treatment in the present study includes a model for the hydrogenation kinetics and correlations between aromatic carbon and fuel combustion properties.     

Production of bio‐crude from forestry waste by hydro‐liquefaction in sub‐/super‐critical methanol

Hydro‐liquefaction of a woody biomass (birch powder) in sub‐/super‐critical methanol without and with catalysts was investigated with an autoclave reactor at temperatures of 473–673 K and an initial pressure of hydrogen varying from 2.0 to 10.0 MPa. The liquid products were separated into water soluble oil and heavy oil (as bio‐crude) by extraction with water and acetone. Without catalyst, the yields of heavy oil and water soluble oil were in the ranges of 2.4–25.5 wt % and 1.2–17.0 wt %, respectively, depending strongly on reaction temperature, reaction time, and initial pressure of hydrogen. The optimum temperature for the production of heavy oil and water soluble oil was found to be at around 623 K, whereas a longer residence time and a lower initial H₂ pressure were found to be favorite conditions for the oil production. Addition of a basic catalyst, such as NaOH, K₂CO₃, and Rb₂CO₃, could significantly promote biomass conversion and increase yields of oily products in the treatments at temperatures less than 573 K. The yield of heavy oil attained about 30 wt % for the liquefaction operation in the presence of 5 wt % Rb₂CO₃ at 573 K and 2 MPa of H₂ for 60 min. The obtained heavy oil products consisted of a high concentration of phenol derivatives, esters, and benzene derivatives, and they also contained a higher concentration of carbon, a much lower concentration of oxygen, and a significantly increased heating value (>30 MJ/kg) when compared with the raw woody biomass. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009     

Detailed CFD modelling of fast pyrolysis of different biomass types in fluidized bed reactors

In the present study, an Eulerian‐Eulerian computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, combined with a comprehensive biomass reaction scheme, was used to simulate fast pyrolysis of four different biomass types in the fluidized bed reactors. The study focuses on the influence of biomass components of different biomass types on the yields, formations, and contents of compositions of pyrolysis products. The result showed that the bio‐oil yield of cellulose‐rich biomass was higher than other biomass types, and char was mainly produced by the fast pyrolysis of LIG‐C of biomass. Moreover, the contents of bio‐oil components were affected by the fast pyrolysis of biomass components. Further, the energy recovery coefficient (ERC) of bio‐oil obtained from pyrolysis of different biomass types was also calculated and analyzed in this paper.

     

Secondary coking and cracking of shale oil vapours from pyrolysis or hydropyrolysis of a Kentucky Cleveland oil shale in a two-stage reactor

It is widely recognized that secondary reactions which are mainly associated with minerals during oil shale retorting have a marked influence on the product yields and compositions. To understand these phenomena more clearly, the secondary reactions of shale oil vapours from the pyrolysis (or hydropyrolysis) of Kentucky Cleveland oil shale were examined in a two-stage, fixed-bed reactor in flowing nitrogen or hydrogen at pressures of 0.1–15 MPa. The vapours from pyrolysis (first stage) were passed through a second stage containing combusted shale, upgrading catalyst or neither. Carbon conversion to volatile products in the first stage increased from 49% during thermal pyrolysis to 81% at 15 MPa H₂ partial pressure. During thermal pyrolysis, total pressure had only a slight effect on carbon removal from the raw shale and subsequent deposition on to the porous solids in the second stage. Carbon deposition on to the combusted shale in the second stage was reduced to zero at 15 MPa H₂ partial pressure. The n-alkane distributions of the oils as determined by gas chromatography clearly demonstrated that higher hydrogen pressure, contact with combusted shale, or both contributed to lower-molecular-weight products.     

The mechanism of hydrocarbon synthesis from CO and H2 on cobalt catalysts

Basic process for manufacturing liquid fuel and valuable chemicals from nonpetroleum feedstock (coal, natural gas, biomass) is the synthesis of hydrocarbons from CO and H₂ on catalysts containing Group VIII transition metals. There are also other processes for producing hydrocarbon mixtures from nonpetroleum feedstock (for example, coal or biomass hydrogenation, coal devolatilization and pyrolysis), but the preferential development of the Fischer-Tropsch process confirms its viability and prospects, which are determined by a huge source of raw materials—coal reserves in the energy equivalent are an order of magnitude higher than those of crude oil.     

Catalytic upgrading of biomass-derived oils to transportation fuels and chemicals

This paper provides a review of the catalytic upgrading of biomass-derived oils such as wood pyrolytic oils, plant/vegetable oils and tall oil to transportation fuels and useful chemicals. Both zeolite and hydrotreating type catalysts have been found suitable for upgrading which was usually done in fixed bed reactors. The hydrotreatment of pyrolytic oils at 250-450°C and 15-20 MPa H₂ pressures has been reported to yield up to 55 wt. % of liquid product containing 40-50 wt. % of gasoline range hydrocarbons. In the case of HZSM-5, the upgrading has been carried out at atmospheric pressure and 350-500°C and over 85 wt. % conversions of plant oils and tall oil have been achieved under optimum conditions. Liquid product yields from these oils were up to 70 wt. % of feed which contained 40-50 wt. % aromatic hydrocarbons. With the high pressure pyrolytic oil, pitch conversions of over 75 wt. % have been observed with HZSM-5 using co-feeds such as tetralin. However, there is only scant information available on the kinetic and mechanistic aspects of upgrading of these oils.     

Bio‐oil from whole‐tree feedstock in resol‐type phenolic resins

Renewable chemicals are of growing importance in terms of opportunities for environmental concerns over fossil‐based chemicals. Lignocellulosic biomass can be converted into energy and chemicals via thermal and biological processes. Among all the transformation processes available, fast pyrolysis is the only one to produce a high yield of a liquid‐phase product called bio‐oil or pyrolysis oil. Bio‐oil is considered to be a promising substitute for phenol in phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin synthesis. In this work, bio‐based phenolic resins have been formulated, partially substituting phenol by bio‐oils from two Canadian whole‐tree species. The new resins are produced by replacing 25, 50, and 75% of phenol with bio‐oil for each species (three bioresins per species). The aim of this study is to synthesize renewable resins with competitive price and satisfactory quality. The results obtained have shown that substitution degree up to 50% provided reactivity and performance equal or superior to the pure PF resin. They also present a good storage stability, improved shear strength, and thermal stability comparable to the pure PF. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014 , 131, 40014.     

Structures of the distillates obtained from hydrogenation and pyrolysis of Liddell coal

The structures of the distillable fractions (oils, b.p. >200 °C and volatile fractions, b.p. <200 °C) of the products from hydrogenation and pyrolysis of an Australian bituminous coal (Liddell) were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (g.c.-m.s.) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (n.m.r.). The distillable oil generated from hydrogenation of Liddell coal at 400 °C, using nickel molybdenum ortin (II) chloride as catalyst and tetralin or recycle oil as vehicle, consisted of a wide range of compounds. Long straight-chain alkanes were important components together with alkyl-substituted benzenes and tetralins, phenols and polycyclic material. When yields were low, as in the case of catalytic experiments with nickel molybdenum catalysts and no vehicle, isoprenoids could be identified. When a substantial proportion of the coal was converted to oil, branched-chain alkanes were not important components of the product. The replacement of tetralin and nickel molybdenum catalyst with stannous chloride reduced the amounts of methyl tetralins in the product. When tetralin was replaced by recycle oil, alkanes were more important components of the liquid products. Although alkenes were absent in oils generated by hydrogenation, they were important components of oils generated by pyrolysis. The highly volatile fractions (b.p. <200 °C) produced during hydrogenation consisted of alkyl-substituted benzenes, decalins, methylindan and straight-chain alkanes. Straight-chain alkanes were more abundant in those volatile fractions generated by hydrogenation with recycle vehicle than with tetralin. The Brown-Ladner method of estimating the fraction of aromatic carbon in distillable oils was adequate for less volatile fractions but was inadequate for the highly volatile fractions because of the large amounts of α-CH₃ and β-CH₃ alkyl groups present.     

Thermochemical Processing of Miscanthus through Fluidized‐Bed Fast Pyrolysis: A Parametric Study

Thermochemical processing of agriculture waste not only provides surrogates for combustion fuel but also reduces the environmental issues of waste. Miscanthus has been viewed as one of the largest agriculture wastes in Taiwan and a proper process for turning Miscanthus into a valuable product has become a significant subject. Here, fluidized‐bed fast pyrolysis was applied to convert Miscanthus into bio‐oil, bio‐char, and pyrolytic gases as the products. The product distributions were examined depending on various reaction parameters such as reaction temperature, carrier gas flow rate, feedstock feeding rate, and feedstock size. The chemical compositions of the bio‐oil, bio‐char, and product gases were analyzed and the properties of the bio‐oil were also tested via standard methods. So far, bio‐oil derived from Miscanthus is unfavorable for application in combustion engines without further upgrading processes.     

Catalytic upgrading of biorefinery oil from micro-algae

Micro-algae are seen as one of the major future fuel sources. Culture and growth of oil rich micro-algae and catalytic process for the conversion of their crude oils or biomass is reviewed here. While there is a significant literature on growth and extraction of oil from the resultant biomass the literature on the problems of refining these oils is diverse and needs collation. It is clear that previous work has been focused on the two green algae Botryococcus braunii and Chlorella protothecoides containing terpenoid hydrocarbons and glyceryl lipids as their major crude oils, respectively, both of which will need different refinery technology for upgrading. Studies show a number of conventional catalysts in the petroleum refining industry including transition metals, zeolites, acid and base catalysts can be used with variable effect. These have been employed for cracking, hydrocracking, liquefaction, pyrolysis and transesterification processes to produce diesel, jet fuel and petrol (gasoline). However there is strong evidence that new nano-scale materials containing a high number of active sites and high surface areas may offer more potential.     

Catalytic upgrading of bio‐oils by esterification

Biomass is the term given to naturally‐produced organic matter resulting from photosynthesis, and represents the most abundant organic polymers on Earth. Consequently, there has been great interest in the potential exploitation of lignocellulosic biomass as a renewable feedstock for energy, materials and chemicals production. The energy sector has largely focused on the direct thermochemical processing of lignocellulose via pyrolysis/gasification for heat generation, and the co‐production of bio‐oils and bio‐gas which may be upgraded to produce drop‐in transportation fuels. This mini‐review describes recent advances in the design and application of solid acid catalysts for the energy efficient upgrading of pyrolysis biofuels. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry