STUDY ON THE CORROSIVENESS OP WOOD PYROLYSIS OILS

A study has been conducted on the rate of corrosion of wood pyrolysis oils in presence of carbon and stainless steel plates. Tests were performed to similate the conditions existing in storage tanks. The effect of temperature, water content and acetic/formic acid concentration on the rate of corrosion of metals was studied, as well as their possible interaction effects. The method used involved a factorial design of experiments. All primary effects with their interactions were found statistically significant using the Fischer criterion at Fonx for the analysis of variance. Stainless steel resisted corrosion activity under all sets of conditions used. Wood oils were found not corrosive or slightly corrosive for cast iron at ambiant temperature and low water content, whatever the acid concentration used. Increasing the temperature to 45^°C however dramatically increased the oil corrosion activity.