A M ining Waste as a Catalyst fo r the Upg rading of a Hardwood Chip D erived Py rolysis Bio-Oil

The fast pyrolysis of ligno-cellu losic biomas s to fuel bio -oil holds substantial pr omise for t he develop ment of a la rge scale re newable fuel supply. [۱] But the advantages of the pyrolysis route for this conversion lie in its conceptual simplicity , universal applicabilit y and the fact that a pumpable and storable liq uid produc t is obtained . Challenges arise from the fact that the proc ess generates bio-oil with high oxygen (~ ۴۰ % ), water (۲ ۰-۲۵ %) and acid content (up to ۱ ۰ %) and co nsequently low pH (~ ۲) of the oil make the oil unstable and limit its direct use as a fuel. The two main approaches to a catalytic u pgrading are hydrodeo xygenation using a su pported hydrogenatingmetal or cra cking using a zeolite. A very inexpensive and therefore potentially sacrificial catalyst system is Red Mud bauxite mining waste which is a highly complex mixture of iron, aluminum, silicon and titanium oxides. [۲] Here, following to our previous researches, [۳] a highly acidic bio-oil (pH < ۳) produced by the fast pyrolysis of sawmill residue hardwood chips w as successfully upgrade d using Red Mud bauxite mining w aste as the catalyst.

Keywords:

Diese l fuel , Bio-Fuel , Biomass Conversion , Pyrolysis Bio- Oil , Catalytic Upgradin g , Bauxite Mining Waste , Red Mud