Catalytic pyrolysis of woody biomass

Abstract

A review of the literature published between 2006 and 2009 concerning the pyrolysis of woody biomass and the catalytic upgrading of bio-oil is presented. The main results of our group regarding catalytic pyrolysis of woody biomass are also overviewed. Three different methods for investigating the effect of catalysts on the catalytic pyrolysis of woody biomass were investigated. The first method was conventional thermogravimetry, but, due to the lack of gas analysis, valuable information could not be obtained by this method. The second method of investigation was simultaneous pyrolysis and upgrading over zeolites in a fluidized bed reactor. In the third method, the pyrolysis occurred in a fluidized bed reactor and the pyrolysis vapors were upgraded downstream over zeolites in another fluidized bed reactor. For laboratory-scale pyrolysis, this method was the most suitable for screening of different zeolite catalysts, which was the main objective. It was possible to deoxygenate the bio-oil over zeolites in both fluidized bed reactor set-ups, resulting in higher CO and water formation.

Acknowledgements

This work is part of the activities at the Åbo Akademi University Process Chemistry Centre within the Finnish Centre of Excellence Programme (2000–2011) by the Academy of Finland.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.