Bio-oil is a complex liquid mixture of carbohydrate, lignin and other biomass-derived fragments, making its characterization non-trivial. It is well accepted that we are currently unable to account for as much as 35 wt% of bio-oil components, and a better knowledge of this bio-oil portion will have implication on properly evaluating bio-oil quality and may provide the key to solving processing issues encountered in the upgrading and refining.  In this current climate of studying the possibility of integrating bio-oils as a co-feed in intermediate refinery streams an intimate knowledge of species present in bio-oils and their abundance is a key research need. The major difference between petroleum and biomass-based crude oils is the high oxygen content of the latter. Elemental analysis only provides the amount and not the type of oxygen present. Almost all types of oxygen species known to organic chemists are present in bio-oils and affect the final fuel quality differently. Acids and carbonyls are main types of moieties present in oils. These are associated with the propensity to form condensation products, corrosiveness, and reduce catalyst lifetimes. We are working towards using analytical methods (such NMR techniques and acid-base titration methods) to identify and quantify species such as carbonyls, carboxylates, phenolic and hydroxyl species in bio-oils. We believe that better understanding of the raw bio-oil will lead to the development of catalytic processes required to refine a high quality fuel. The effect of these oxygenates on catalytic activity, and methods to quantify carbonyls, carboxylates, phenolic and hydroxyl moieties in bio-oils will be discussed.

Crude oil derived from biomass: What is in it and implications on catalytic upgrading

248th National Meeting (2014)

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