Bio-oil for the Future
Fast Pyrolysis Liquids
as Energy Carriers
Technology supplied by
Integrated Fast Pyrolysis – VTT Technology
The first integrated industrial plant will be the demonstration by Fortum
Power and Heat in Finland in 2014 at the scale of 50 000 t/a of bio-oil. Bio-oil
will be used in district heat production replacing fossil fuels.
Metso DNA automation system
High pressure steam
Turbine
Electricity
District heat
Forest residue
Non-condensible gas
Drying
Condenser
Fluidized bed boiler
Pyrolysis unit
Crusher
Bio-oil
Bio-Oil Composition and Fuel Oil Properties
100
Heating value 13-18 MJ/kg (LHV)
Water content 20-35 wt%
Viscosity between that of light and heavy
fuel oils
High ignition temperature
Acidic, pH 2.5 - 3
Does not sustain combustion
Density 1.17-1.22 kg/l
Polymerizes slowly
Not soluble in mineral oils
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•
•
•
•
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90
80
Aldehydes, ketones
Acids
'Sugars'
Water
Extractives
LMM lignin
HMM lignin
70
Weight %
•
•
•
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Pyrolysis liquid
Bio-Oil Chemical Composition
O
O
C - CH3
HO
HO
C-H
H3C - OH
WATER
BY KF
PYROLYSIS LIQUID
SOLIDS AS METHANOL/DCM INSOLUBLES
EXTRACTIVES AS HEXANE-SOLUBLES
WATER EXTRACTION
ACIDS, ALCOHOLS BY GC/FID
WATER INSOLUBLES
WATER SOLUBLES
DICHLOROMETHANE EXTRACTION
ETHER EXTRACTION
DCM-SOLUBLES
MM 400 Da
ETHER SOLUBLES
ALDEHYDES, KETONES OH O
H2C - CH
HO
OH
FURANS
1050 Da
ETHER INSOLUBLES
OH O
H2C - C - CH3
O
CH2 O
OH O
OH
PHENOLS
DCM-INSOLUBLES
OCH 3
OH
O CHO
Ether-soluble compounds can be identified by GC/MSD
OH
‘SUGARS’
LIGNIN
The VTT Fast Pyrolysis Process
Development Unit
Capacity 20 kg/h feed, Oil 10-15 kg/h
Production kg
1800
1600
Crop
1400
Filter
1200
Wood
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Test run period
Time of operation
Production
Typical run
11/1996 – 9/2012
> 3700 h
45 t liquids total
0.3-1 t a week
Performance Balance Assessment – AspenPlus Steady-State-Models
Validated with Experimental Data
Power input
Heat loss
D UP L
D UP L
D UP L
D UP L
W
D UP L
W
D UP L
RAW MATERIAL
Power output
District heat
Power input
Heat loss
FUEL
D UP L
Q
D UP L
AspenPlus-models may be used to evaluate industrial plant mass and energy balances, which
enables industry to evaluate preliminary economic feasibility of fast pyrolysis for their specific cases.
Analysis and Design of Bioenergy Processes Using Computational Fluid
Dynamics (CFD) Validated with Experimental Data
CFD-models are used to
improve fast pyrolysis
designs. From left:
Computed temperature
distribution (K), rate of
release of bio-oil
components (red indicates
large rate, blue low rate)
during pyrolysis, and some
wood particle tracks
coloured by initial size (blue
indicates small size, red
large size: 0.125 mm-5 mm).
Pilot-Scale Test Rig for Pumping, Filtration, Homogenisation of Bio-Oils
MAT-Reactor for Co-Refining Development
Small Continuous Hydrotreatment System
High Pressure Batch Autoclaves 0.5 – 1 l
300 bar
FC
270 bar
PC
Furnace 1
20 cm / 12 mm ID
H2
Storage
350 bar
Furnace 2
30 cm / 12 mm ID
100-200 bar
HPLC
pump
H2 Compressor
PC
Gas
Steam
trap
H2
Pyro oil
Liquid
To GC
Recent VTT Publications on Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass
Lehto, Jani; Oasmaa, Anja; Solantausta, Yrjö; Kytö, Matti; Chiaramonti, David. 2013. Fuel oil quality and
combustion of fast pyrolysis bio-oils. Espoo, VTT. 79 p. VTT Technology; 87
Oasmaa, Anja, Kuoppala, Eeva, Elliott, Douglas, C.. 2012. Development of the basis for an analytical
protocol for feeds and products of bio-oil hydrotreatment: ACS. Energy & Fuels, Vol. 26, Nr. 4, Pp. 24542460
Oasmaa, Anja, Källi, Anssi, Lindfors, Christian, Elliott, D.C., Springer, D., Peacocke, C., Chiaramonti, D..
2012. Guidelines for transportation, handling, and use of fast pyrolysis bio-oil. 1. Flammability and
toxicity. Energy & Fuels, Vol. 26, Nr. 6, Pp. 3864 – 3873
Elliott, D.C., Oasmaa, Anja, Preto, F., Meier, D., Bridgwater, A.V.. 2012. Results of the IEA round robin on
viscosity and stability of fast pyrolysis bio-oils. Energy & Fuels, Vol. 26, Nr. 6, Pp. 3769 – 3776
Elliott, D.C. et al. Results of the IEA Round Robin on Viscosity and Aging of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oils: LongTerm Tests and Repeatability, Energy & Fuels ASAP, 2012
Elliott, D.C., Hart, T.R., Neuenschwander, G.G., Rotness, L.J., Olarte, M.V., Zacher, A.H., Solantausta, Yrjö.
2012. Catalytic hydroprocessing of fast pyrolysis bio-oil from pine sawdust: ACS. Energy & Fuels, Vol.
26, Nr. 6, Pp. 3891 - 3896
Solantausta, Yrjö, Oasmaa, Anja, Sipilä, Kai, Lindfors, Christian, Lehto, J., Autio, J., Jokela, P., Alin, J.,
Heiskanen, J.. 2012. Bio-oil production from biomass: Steps toward demonstration: ACS. Energy &
Fuels, Vol. 26, Nr. 1, Pp. 233-240
VTT Offers
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Research services through the whole value-chain from biomass procurement to biooil:
– Feedstock characterization and assessment of its value as bio-oil production
feed
– Bio-oil production in bench (1 kg/h) or pilot-scale (20 kg/h feed) in catalytic or
non-catalytic operation modes
– Bio-oil quality assessment (physical and chemical properties), and assessment
of its suitability to different end-use applications including further upgrading
– Bio-oil upgrading tests (HDO) with a continuous lab-scale catalytic upgrading
unit
– Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) experiments in a 1 liter batch unit (Tmax 350°C,
Pmax 250 bar)
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Techno-economic assessments and consulting services :
– Techno-economic assessments of bioenergy concepts employing AspenPlus®
modelling software to determined process lant performance
– Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of bioenergy systems
– Green House Gas (GHG) balances for bioenergy concepts
Yrjö Solantausta, [email protected]
Anja Oasmaa, [email protected]
Lars Kjäldman, [email protected]
VTT Synfuels
Biologinkuja 3-5
PO Box 1000 FI-02040 VTT
Finland
www.vtt.fi