Catalytic fast pyrolysis of beetle killed lodgepole pine in a novel ablative reactor

Abstract

As carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere continue to rise, lignocellulosic biomass is further being investigated for their potential as a feedstock for alternative fuels. Beetle killed lodgepole pine (BKLP) is a lignocellulosic biomass that becomes hazardous from structural defects caused by an infection of the mountain pine beetle, prompting its need to be removed from the forest and repurposed. The fast pyrolysis of BKLP generates organic volatiles, and that condense producing a liquid oil (bio-oil). The bio-oil produced is incompatible with the current infrastructure because of its acidic, corrosive, and unstable nature associated to its high oxygen content. The high oxygen content also results in a low higher heating value as compared to gasoline. Here, we explore two different methods to target the production of aromatic hydrocarbons, which are gasoline additives. In the first method, we deposited palladium metal nanoparticles on the BKLP to produce more phenolic compounds that act as precursors to thetarget aromatic hydrocarbons. The second method involved adding a catalytic upgrade reactor downstream of an ablative reactor to upgrade organic volatiles into aromatic hydrocarbons.