Article
Energy & Fuels
David C. Dayton, Ofei D. Mante, Joseph Weiner, Christos Komnaris, Sylvain Verdier, Jostein Gabrielsen
Summary: This study investigates the hydrotreating of biocrude produced by reactive catalytic fast pyrolysis (RCFP), which can be upgraded or coprocessed to produce gasoline- and diesel-range hydrocarbons. Results show that catalyst deactivation occurs during hydrotreating, but at a slower rate during coprocessing tests.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Mingyuan Zhang, Yulin Hu, Haoyu Wang, Haoyang Li, Xue Han, Yimin Zeng, Chunbao Charles Xu
Summary: Fast pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction are considered promising technologies for liquid bio-fuel production, but the poor quality of crude bio-oils has limited their direct applications. Hydrotreatment such as hydrodeoxygenation is a common upgrading technique, and this review explores the effects of different reaction conditions on the HDO treatment of real bio-oil. The underlying mechanisms for bio-oil HDO, technical challenges, and potential solutions are discussed, along with knowledge gaps and future research directions.
MOLECULAR CATALYSIS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shuo Zhang, Yunfei Wu, Yiming Wang, Mei Zhong, Guijin Wang, Yanpeng Ban, Shun Zhao, Haoquan Hu, Lijun Jin
Summary: This study applied a CO2-enhanced water leaching method to remove alkali/alkaline earth metallic species from biochar and used the demineralized biochar as a catalyst for upgrading pyrolysis biooil. The results showed that the pore structure of the catalyst played a dominant role in increasing phenols contents, while alkali/alkaline earth metallic species enhanced the polymerization of aromatic hydrocarbons and the decarbonylation of oxygenated compounds.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Anjani R. K. Gollakota, Chi-Min Shu, Prakash Kumar Sarangi, Krushna Prasad Shadangi, Sudip Rakshit, John F. Kennedy, Vijai Kumar Gupta, Minaxi Sharma
Summary: The quest for renewable and sustainable alternatives, especially biomass/bio waste, has been prompted by rising environmental concerns and the depletion of natural fossil fuels. Converting biomass residues into liquid fuels using thermochemical means seems promising, but the poor quality of bio-oil produced through pyrolysis poses challenges. Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) offers a cutting-edge method for upgrading bio-oil into sustainable fuels that can compete with traditional fossil fuels. However, producing high-performance catalysts and understanding the physico-chemical aspects of bio-oil remain difficult. Research on upgrading pyrolysis bio-oil to gasoline is crucial for biorefineries, and this review provides detailed information on HDO mechanisms, biofuels, model compounds, and catalyst suitability for biofuels obtained from various feedstock.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Siying Zhong, Bo Zhang, Chenhao Liu, Awsan Shujaa, Stephen Mwenya, Huiyan Zhang
Summary: Catalytic co-pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass is an important method for producing biofuels and increasing the yield and quality of monocyclic aromatics in bio-oil.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
K. Karuppasamy, Jayaraman Theerthagiri, Aravindhan Selvaraj, Dhanasekaran Vikraman, Hemalatha Parangusan, R. Mythili, Myong Yong Choi, Hyun-Seok Kim
Summary: In recent years, eco-friendly renewable energy sources have been recommended as alternatives to fossil fuels in order to reduce environmental pollution and meet future energy demands. Lignocellulosic biomass, as the largest source of renewable energy in the world, has attracted significant interest for the production of biofuels and value-added chemicals. Among the various furan derivatives that can be obtained from biomass, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) are considered the most useful molecules for the production of fuels and fine chemicals. This review discusses the transformation of HMF into DMF using different catalysts and provides insights into the reaction conditions and the influence of the catalyst support.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Dong-Can Lv, Kun Jiang, Kai Li, Yun-Quan Liu, Duo Wang, Yue-Yuan Ye
Summary: Hydrotreatment of pyrolysis oils with lignin-derived oil as a co-feed can effectively inhibit coke formation and improve oil stability. Controlling the temperature is essential for obtaining upgraded bio-oils with higher quality and better stability.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yanet Villasana, Sabino Armenise, Javier Abrego, Maria Atienza-Martinez, Karina Hablich, Fernando Bimbela, Alfonso Cornejo, Luis M. Gandia
Summary: Ecuador, a leading producer of cocoa beans, recognizes the strategic and socioeconomic value of managing and valorizing the vast amount of waste generated by this industry. A low-cost pyrolysis route was explored to extract chemical products from cocoa pod husks, resulting in increased yield and improved quality of bio-oil through downstream catalytic processing.
Review
Thermodynamics
Pooya Lahijani, Maedeh Mohammadi, Abdul Rahman Mohamed, Farzad Ismail, Keat Teong Lee, Ghazaleh Amini
Summary: Biomass-to-liquid thermochemical routes, such as fast pyrolysis, are promising methods for converting waste biomass into sustainable hydrocarbon fuels. However, the bio-oil derived from pyrolysis has poor quality and requires extensive upgrading before it can be used as a jet fuel. Catalytic cracking and hydrodeoxygenation are the most promising approaches for upgrading bio-oil to bio-jet fuel. Further research is needed to understand the mechanistic aspects of raw bio-oil upgrading.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liyuan Qin, Jiani Li, Shengming Zhang, Zhongyuan Liu, Shuang Li, Lina Luo
Summary: Bio-oil can be used as a substitute for fossil fuels after upgrading. Bimetal-modified HZSM-5 catalysts were prepared to address catalysis problems, and the catalytic performance of Ni-Co/HZSM-5 in upgrading the simulated bio-oil was investigated. The loaded duplex metal ratio significantly affected the acidity, catalytic activity, and selectivity of Ni-Co/HZSM-5.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ali Abdulkhani, Zahra Echresh Zadeh, Solomon Gajere Bawa, Fubao Sun, Meysam Madadi, Xueming Zhang, Basudeb Saha
Summary: Catalytic upgrading of bio-oil from different types of lignocellulosic biomass using H-ZSM-5 catalyst showed significant reduction in water and oxygen content, viscosity reduction, and increased heating values.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Candice R. Ellison, Dorin Boldor
Summary: This study investigates a low cost iron-based catalyst for mild in-situ upgrading of fast pyrolysis vapors, which can reduce pyrolysis liquid yields, increase gas yields, and produce a more stable liquid product. Increasing iron loading can decrease catalyst coking, but result in greater amounts of polyaromatics in the pyrolysis liquid. Upgraded pyrolysis liquids have lower concentrations of unstable carboxylic acids and aldehydes, with a shift towards a more stable liquid product. Iron-doped montmorillonite catalyst is demonstrated to be a viable, low cost catalyst for mild upgrading of fast pyrolysis vapors.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Shasha Liu, Gang Wu, Yi Gao, Bin Li, Yu Feng, Jianbin Zhou, Xun Hu, Yong Huang, Shu Zhang, Hong Zhang
Summary: The study showed that catalytic reaction with activated char could increase the relative content of phenolic substances in bio-oil and create more active sites. At higher temperatures, the content of aromatic hydrocarbons in bio-oil increased while oxygen-containing compounds (such as ketones, acids, aldehydes) decreased.
Review
Energy & Fuels
Anja Oasmaa, Jani Lehto, Yrjo Solantausta, Sirpa Kallio
Summary: The review summarizes VTT's development efforts in fast pyrolysis over the past 40 years, showcasing a wide range of feedstocks and products tested. Plastic wastes are currently seen as the most promising industrial opportunity in this field.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
William de Rezende Locatel, Dorothee Laurenti, Yves Schuurman, Nolven Guilhaume
Summary: Ex-situ catalytic fast pyrolysis was used to produce bio-oils from beech wood with Nb-based mixed oxides catalysts. The Lewis acid sites of NbxMnyOz were found to perform similarly to the Brønsted sites of H-ZSM-5, effectively improving the quality and selectivity of bio-oils while reducing oxygen content.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Marvin Masche, Maria Puig-Arnavat, Peter A. Jensen, Jens Kai Holm, Sonnik Clausen, Jesper Ahrenfeldt, Ulrik B. Henriksen
Summary: This study investigates the influence of wood pellet properties on the grindability of pellets using a lab-scale disc mill. The study found that drying pellets increased their brittleness and improved their grindability, with a larger impact on industrial pellets. Beech pellets had better grindability than pine pellets.
BIOMASS CONVERSION AND BIOREFINERY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
J. A. Andersen, M. C. Holm, K. van't Veer, J. M. Christensen, M. Ostberg, A. Bogaerts, A. D. Jensen
Summary: The study investigates the factors affecting ammonia synthesis in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor, using both experiments and a plasma kinetic model. The effects of plasma power, feed flow rate, N2:H2 feed ratio, gas residence time, temperature, and packing material were examined. The results show that increasing the feed flow rate and gas temperature with a packing material present in the plasma can enhance the ammonia synthesis rate.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Mohamadali Mirzaei, Peter Arendt Jensen, Mohammadhadi Nakhaei, Hao Wu, Sam Zakrzewski, Haosheng Zhou, Weigang Lin
Summary: The Dense Discrete Phase Model coupled with an agglomeration model is developed and validated for the simulation of industrial cyclones with high solid loads. The performance of the model is influenced by sub-models, model parameters, and numerical parameters. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to optimize the model's performance, identifying the turbulence model and particle-particle restitution coefficient as having the strongest influence. The study recommends a set of sub-models, model parameters, and numerical parameters for accurately predicting the hydrodynamics of large-scale highly loaded cyclones.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Frederik Zafiryadis, Anker Degn Jensen, Weigang Lin, Sonnik Clausen, Elisabeth Akoh Hove, Morten Boberg Larsen, Hao Wu
Summary: The cracking of sugars to glycolaldehyde and other oxygenates shows potential in lab-scale fluidized beds. This study adopts a gas-phase kinetics model and implements it into the Computational Particle Fluid Dynamics (CPFD) framework to simulate sugar cracking in a pilot-scale circulating fluidized bed riser. The results show good agreement with experimental data and suggest the need for more accurate predictions of product yields.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Mohamadali Mirzaei, Sonnik Clausen, Hao Wu, Sam Zakrzewski, Mohammadhadi Nakhaei, Haosheng Zhou, Kasper Martin Jonck, Peter Arendt Jensen, Weigang Lin
Summary: A hybrid multiphase model (Dense Discrete Phase Model, DDPM) coupled with a k-omega sst turbulence model, which includes gas-solid heat exchange, was developed to simulate industrial-scale cyclone preheaters with high solid loadings. The model was validated by experimental measurements, including pressure drop, gas and particle exit temperature, local gas velocity profiles (measured using LDA), and gas temperature profiles (measured using thermocouple and FTIR). The model showed reasonable agreement with the experimental data and accurately captured major trends caused by changes in operating parameters.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
J. A. Andersen, K. van't Veer, J. M. Christensen, M. Ostberg, A. Bogaerts, A. D. Jensen
Summary: The use of ammonia as a storage medium for hydrogen and its plasma-catalytic decomposition for retrieval of hydrogen are investigated. Experimental results show that increasing the specific energy input enhances the ammonia conversion. A kinetic model is used to analyze the decomposition mechanism, indicating that the collisions between NH3 and high-energy electrons initiate the decomposition.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Frederik Zafiryadis, Anker Degn Jensen, Weigang Lin, Elisabeth Akoh Hove, Morten Boberg Larsen, Hao Wu
Summary: This paper provides a thorough and up-to-date review of experimental and numerical investigations of gas-liquid sprays into gas-solid fluidized beds. It presents a phenomenological description of the prevalent mechanisms of gas-liquid injection under different operating conditions and identifies suitable computational fluid dynamic models for simulating the mechanisms involved in gas-liquid-solid interactions, along with recommendations for future work.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Mohamadali Mirzaei, Sonnik Clausen, Hao Wu, Mohammadhadi Nakhaei, Haosheng Zhou, Kasper Jonck, Peter Arendt Jensen, Weigang Lin
Summary: The Dense Discrete Phase Model (DDPM) was used with Oka's erosion model to investigate erosion caused by solid particle impacts in an industrial cyclone preheater. The model's predictions of flow pattern and temperature profile were validated with measurements in an industrial cyclone preheater, as well as against results from a lab-scale cyclone in the literature. The model also successfully predicted the erosion patterns observed in the industrial cyclone preheater, and parametric studies showed that gas flow rate and inlet temperature had the greatest impact on erosion.
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Isabel Pol Segura, Navid Ranjbar, Anne Juul Damo, Lars Skaarup Jensen, Mariana Canut, Peter Arendt Jensen
Summary: There is a growing interest in alternative cements to reduce the environmental impact of cement production. One promising option is alkali-activated materials, which have similar performance to traditional cement and can significantly reduce CO2 emissions. This paper reviews relevant technologies for alkali-activated cement production and discusses considerations for mixing and casting concrete. It also provides an overview of the market, including commercialized products, CO2 emissions, costs, and future considerations. Alkali-activated materials can reduce CO2 emissions by over 68% compared to Portland cement but are estimated to be 2 to 3 times more expensive.
Article
Thermodynamics
Margherita Dotti, Sonnik Clausen, Clara M. Velte, Soren Post, Peter A. Jensen
Summary: A new video visualization technology for flow measurements in high temperature environments was developed in this study. By tracking aluminum oxide particles, the velocity vectors of the flow can be obtained, allowing for the determination of the influence of operation conditions on the flow pattern in the furnace chamber.
THERMAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROGRESS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Hamed Baniamerian, Martin Hoj, Matthias Josef Beier, Anker Degn Jensen
Summary: This review discusses the attractive approaches of catalytic conversion of (ligno)cellulosic biomass for the production of valuable oxygenated chemicals and platform molecules under hydrothermal or pyrolysis conditions. To design the most effective catalysts and gain a better understanding of the processes, the main reactions and possible products obtained from cellulose catalytic valorization, specifically diols, are discussed. The review systematically summarizes recent advancements of heterogeneous catalysts and their structure-activity relationships for the selective production of diols from cellulose and cellulose-derived sugars under both pyrolysis and hydrothermal conditions.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
William Gundtorp, Thomas Klint Torp, Anker Degn Jensen
Summary: Due to convenience and toxicity, research on the catalytic oxidation of poly-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) is mainly conducted on model compounds instead of PCDD/Fs themselves. This raises questions about the validity of using model compounds to design catalysts for PCDD/F removal. A review of the literature on catalytic destruction of PCDD/Fs and model compounds indicates that their reaction kinetics are similar, but with some deviations in gas phase composition. It is found that V2O5/TiO2-based catalysts are the most studied and achieve higher catalytic activity compared to other non-precious metal catalysts.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hamed Baniamerian, Martin Hoj, Matthias Josef Beier, Anker Degn Jensen
Summary: Hydrous pyrolysis of glucose is a promising method to produce glycolaldehyde and other valuable oxygenates. A pulsed chromatographic method was proposed to investigate the effect of operating parameters on the product distribution and glycolaldehyde yield. This technique provided insights into the reaction pathways and allowed for determination of the reaction time-frame and rate parameters.
REACTION CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Wenhao Hu, Zsuzsa Sarossy, Anker Degn Jensen, Anders Egede Daugaard, Peter Arendt Jensen
Summary: In this study, the pyrolysis of pure low density polyethylene was investigated using a lab-scale two-stage fixed-bed pyrolyzer. Different catalytic materials were used in the second reactor to upgrade the vapors. The results showed that the use of certain catalysts and higher temperatures can significantly decrease the chain length of hydrocarbons in the condensed product and convert the wax into a liquid.