BOILER FUEL PRODUCTION FROM FAST PYROLYSIS OIL BY AN OXIDATION PRETREATMENT TO BIO-OIL FOLLOWED BY ESTERIFICATION

摘要

Production of renewable fuels is of growing interest due to the ongoing concerns associated with the fossil fuels such as economic, socio-political and environmental. Biomass is an alternative renewable energy source1'2. Biomass can be converted into liquid fuels through both thermal and biological methods. One of the thermal decomposition methods is fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass to produce pyrolysis oil that is frequently referred to as bio-oil. Bio-oil conversion to fuels is a potential promising replacement for fossil fuels. Advantages of liquid bio-oil are the ease of transportation and storage. Fast pyrolysis includes heating the biomass at elevated temperatures in the range of 400 to 550 °C in the absence of oxygen2'3'4. Fast pyrolysis has the potential to convert any biomass type to a liquid fuel. As a fuel, biomass derived bio-oil has environmental advantages when compared to fossil fuels because, on combustion, bio-oil produces half of the NO_x, and negligible quantities of SO_x emissions and it is CO2 neutral when compared to conventional fuels. Direct utilization of raw bio-oil is limited because of its negative physical and chemical properties such as high acidity, high moisture content, low energy density, immiscibility with petroleum products, and polymerization resulting in increased viscosity upon exposure to heat or during long-term storage. The chemically complex mixture of bio-oil contains over 300 different organic compounds1.