Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a promising method for upgrading lignocellulosic biomass into biocrude in the face of increasing concerns over energy and environmental issues. However, the biocrude obtained from HTL of lignocellulosic biomass contains relatively high contents of oxygen and nitrogen, which are much higher than those in petroleum. In addition, an inevitable solid byproduct, hydrochar, is generated during HTL, which requires additional refining to be of further use. To deal with the aforementioned issues, clay minerals are added during the HTL of cellulose as an <i>in situ </i>catalyst to enhance oil yield and simultaneously upgrade hydrochar for use as an adsorbent for water treatment. This study uses three clay minerals, namely montmorillonite, kaolinite and sand (as a control), with a ratio of 5% for co-HTL with cellulose. The HTL condition of temperature is fixed at 300 °C with a 60 min holding time. The biocrude’s yield, elemental content, organic composition and characterization of hydrochar are examined. Work suggests that adding clay catalysts changes the elemental composition and produces more phenols in the biocrude. Adding clay catalysts improves the deoxygenation reactions during HTL of cellulose. There are also differences on biocrude composition caused by different catalysts. Meanwhile, the clay-cellulose HTL increases the hydrochar’s surface area and subsequent absorption capacity. To conclude, co-hydrothermal liquefaction of clays and cellulose provides a promising opportunity for upgrading biocrude and hydrochar simultaneously.<br/>

Hydrothermal liquefaction of clay-biomass mixtures for simultaneous production of heterogeneous hydrochars and upgraded biofuels

2019 Fall National Meeting

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