Journal
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS
Volume 143, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaap.2019.104679
Keywords
Corn stover; Autothermal; Fast pyrolysis; Fluidized bed; Process intensification
Funding
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers as part of the Department of Energy [138846]
- Gary and Donna Hoover Endowment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University
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The high ash content of agricultural residues and other kinds of herbaceous biomass makes it a challenging feedstock for fast pyrolysis to bio-oil. Using corn stover as a representative feedstock, this study investigates fast pyrolysis of high ash, herbaceous biomass in a pilot-scale fluidized bed reactor using both conventional, nitrogen-blown and autothermal, air-blown operation. Initial efforts to pyrolyze corn stover were challenged by bed fouling, which prevented steady reactor operation. Substitution of coarser bed material allowed operation at higher superficial velocities, which promoted attrition and elutriation of recalcitrant biochar particles from the reactor. This resulted in dramatic improvement in stable reactor operation for both conventional and auto-thermal pyrolysis with bio-oil yields among the highest reported for pyrolysis of corn stover. The oxygen-to-biomass equivalence ratio required for autothermal operation was 6.8%. Autothermal operation also resulted in significant process intensification, increasing corn stover throughput from 7.8 kg hr(-1) to 21.9 kg hr(-1) for this 8.9 cm diameter reactor. Air-blown, autothermal operation did not significantly reduce bio-oil yield despite the presence of partial oxidation reactions. Carbon balances indicate carbon yields of biochar and aqueous, bio-oil light ends decreased by 18.5% and 4.7%, respectively, during autothermal pyrolysis compared to conventional pyrolysis while the more valuable, organic-rich heavy ends of the bio-oil were essentially preserved.
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