Production of a refined biooil derived by fast pyrolysis of chicken manure with chemical and physical characteristics close to those of fossil fuels

Abstract

The chemical and physical properties of raw biooils prevent their direct use in combustion engines. We processed raw pyrolytic biooil derived from chicken manure to yield a colorless refined biooil with diesel qualities. Chemical characterization of the refined biooil involved elemental and several spectroscopic analyses. The physical measurements employed were viscosity, density and heat of combustion. The elemental composition (% wt/wt) of the refined biooil was 82.7 % C, 15.3 % H, 0.2 % N and 1.8 % O, no S. Its viscosity was 0.006 Pa.s and a heat of combustion of 43 MJ kg⁻¹. The refined biooil fraction contains n-alkanes, ranging from n-C₁₄ to n-C₂₇, alkenes varying from C_10:1 to C_22:1, and long-chain alcohols. The refined biooil makes a good diesel fuel due to its chemical and physical properties.

Keywords:

• Manure
• biooil
• hydrocarbons
• pyrolysis

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Peter Fransham, CEO of Advanced Bio-Refinery Inc. for providing the biooil samples for this experiment. The contributions of E. Tolonen, D. Das and Z. Kazi to the experimental work are highly acknowledged. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance of John Nikiforuk for recording the ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra. The EcoEnergy Technology Initiative of Natural Resources Canada provided funding for this research.