Thermal effects on hydrothermal biomass liquefaction

Batch pressure vessels commonly used for hydrothermal liquefaction have typical heating times in the range of 30 to 60 min. Thermodynamically, the complex set of reactions are path dependent, so that the heating rate can possibly affect yields and the composition of the resultant liquid products. It is postulated that the mode of heat transfer becomes an uncontrolled variable in kinetic studies and can seriously impact scale-up. To confirm this hypothesis and minimize these heat-transfer-related artifacts, we designed a batch pressure vessel equipped with an induction heating system, which allows the reduction of heat-up times by about two orders of magnitude to several seconds, compared to tens of minutes with standard pressure reactors. This system was used to study the direct liquefaction of corn stover and aspen wood with a pretreatment. The heating rate was found to have no significant effect on the composition of the liquid products. However, the liquid yields are dependent on the heating rate. Varying the cooling rate does not show obvious effects. The results confirm that the heating rate, as governed by the mode of heat transfer, is an important factor that needs to be considered during scale-up.