Method of producing an upgraded bio-oil

Abstract

A method of producing an upgraded bio-oil from a wet biomass that includes heating the wet biomass at a first temperature and a first pressure for a time period ranging from 10 to 200 minutes to form a crude bio-oil. The first temperature ranges from 200 to 400° C. and the first pressure ranges from 0.1 to 25 MPa, with the proviso that at least a portion of the water present in the wet biomass remains in a liquid phase throughout the step of heating to form the crude bio-oil, and the first temperature and pressure are below super-critical conditions for water. The method also includes heating the crude bio-oil and the water at a second temperature and a second pressure to form the upgraded bio-oil. Some water remains in the liquid phase or in a super-critical fluid phase throughout the step of heating to form the upgraded bio-oil.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 379,723, filed on Sep. 2, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT RIGHTS[0002]This invention was made with government support under Grant No. EFRI-0937992 awarded by the National Science Foundation. The government may have certain rights in the invention.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0003]The present invention generally relates to a method of producing an upgraded bio-oil, specifically to a method of producing an upgraded bio-oil from a wet biomass.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]Worldwide energy demand, particularly for fossil fuels, is rising as populations increase and nations develop. Concurrently, concerns regarding climate change, declining fossil fuel reserves, and national security have moved to the forefront of society. These concerns have largely arisen due to unpredictable energy costs as well as a grea...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]The method of producing upgraded bio-oil from the wet biomass as disclosed herein has many advantages. Namely, the method described herein involves aqueous phase processing, which results in reduced costs, reduced environmental impact, and reduced energy consumption. Because the wet biomass is heated at the first temperature and the first pressure, without vaporizing all of the water, utility costs are largely minimized. Because the wet biomass is heated at the first temperature and the first pressure in the presence of water, the costs of solvent are largely avoided. Furthermore, the upgraded bio-oil produced through heating the crude bio-oil and water at the second temperature and the second pressure has an excellent heating value and derived from a renewable resource.

Problems solved by technology

While a variety of cell disruption techniques have been investigated for wet biomasses, most generally rely on organic solvents for oil recovery and expensive process operations that are difficult to implement on a large scale.

Although promising, bio-oil produced from wet biomass using the methods described above is generally not ready for use as a liquid transportation fuel.

Furthermore, the processes for producing bio-oil and for upgrading the bio-oil generally require different reaction mediums, additional materials, processing steps, and increased production time.

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