An Overview of the Properties and Applications of Biomass Pyrolysis Oils

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss the properties of pyrolysis liquid products and their primary applications. The pyrolysis of biomass is a promising route for the production of solid (charcoal), liquid (tar and other organics), and gaseous products. These products are of interest as they are possible alternate sources of fuels and chemicals. Pyrolysis liquid is referred to in the literature by terms, such as pyrolysis oil, bio-oil, bio-crude oil, bio-fuel oil, wood liquid, wood oil, liquid smoke, wood distillates, pyroligneous tar, and pyroligneous acid. Bio-oil from biomass pyrolysis mainly consisted of aromatic, aliphatic, and naphthenic hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds, such as phenols, furans, alcohols, acids, ethers, aldehydes, and ketones. Bio-oil has a higher energy density than biomass, can be readily stored and transported, and can be used either as a renewable liquid fuel or chemical production.

Keywords:

• applications
• biomass
• bio-oil
• properties
• pyrolysis

Notes

^a Includes char, ash, and sand.

^b Includes ash and sand.

^c FDS cannot be influenced or specified.

^a Acid area is measured by ammonia TPD and represents Bronsted plus Lewis acid sites.

^b Coke is defined as organics that could only be removed from the catalyst by calcinations. Char is defined as organics deposited in the reactor due to thermal decomposition, and these compounds were not on the catalyst.

^c Tar is the heavy oils deposited on the catalysts that were only removed with a hexane/acetone wash.

^d Toluenes and xylenes are the most common aromatics for HZSM-5, whereas benzene is the most common aromatic for SAPO and MgAPO catalysts.