Author(s)

P. De Filippis, B. de Caprariis, M. Scarsella & N. Verdone

Abstract

The hydrothermal decomposition of biomass is an alternative to the traditional pyrolysis processes to obtain liquid fuels with an increased energy density. Hydrothermal liquefaction is claimed to produce bio-oils with improved characteristics such as a reduced content of oxygen, avoiding at the same time the energy consuming biomass drying step necessary in the traditional thermochemical processes. However, at present the use of this technology is limited by the severe conditions needed and by the difficulties connected with the realization of a continuous process. In this work an innovative process, operating at atmospheric pressure and at moderate temperatures, is proposed, where water subcritical conditions are achieved locally by means of the energy released during cavitation. The process was tested on lab-scale on two biomass feeds obtaining a crude bio-oil with a composition very similar to that of fossil oil and greatly improved respect to those obtained in traditional pyrolysis processes. Keywords: hydrothermal pyrolysis, biomass, biofuels.

Keywords

hydrothermal pyrolysis, biomass, biofuels.