(610d) Performance Characterization of Crude Oil Produced by Thermal Deoxygenation

Production of renewable biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass by fast pyrolysis has been an issue owing to the high acidity, high levels of oxygen, and poor long term stability of the oils. Recent research around the world has focused on upgrading oils produced by fast or catalytic pyrolysis by hydrodeoxygenation using expensive catalysts and hydrogen.

A recent process called thermal deoxygenation (TDO) has opened a new direction in the production of drop in quality crude oil from the lignocellulosic biomass.  In TDO, organic acids which are produced by hydrolysis/dehydration of the carbohydrates in the biomass are neutralized and then pyrolyzed yielding practically oxygen-free crude oils approaching 80% of theoretical yield while using no catalyst, hydrogen, or high pressure.  Additionally, there are no restrictions on feedstock purity.  This presentation will cover the chemical composition and potential performance specifications of the distilled fractions of TDO oil.  Results include, GCMS, NMR, HHV, flash point, viscosity, pour point, and D86 boiling point distributions.