Moving Bed Biomass Conversion with Fluidized Catalyst Regeneration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional biomass-derived pyrolysis oil has high acidity and low energy density, making it corrosive and costly to process into usable fuel, requiring further processing that can lead to phase instability and high hydrogen costs.
Innovation Solution
A process involving treating lignocellulosic biomass with a metal oxide catalyst in a moving bed reactor, followed by regeneration in a fluidized bed regenerator, to produce a bio-oil with reduced acidity and increased energy density, utilizing specific temperature, pressure, and weight hourly space velocity conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional pyrolysis oil is produced from biomass, then the oil is obtained as a potential feedstock, but the oil has high acidity and low energy density making it corrosive and costly to process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the pyrolysis oil by adjusting pyrolysis temperature (300-900°C), catalyst composition (metal oxides on oxide supports), and processing conditions to reduce acidity and increase energy density. This transforms the harmful high-acidity oil into a usable fuel with pH > 3 and energy density > 30 MJ/kg
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces catalysts (metal oxides on oxide supports such as alumina, silica, or zeolites) as intermediaries during the pyrolysis process to modify the chemical composition of the bio-oil. These catalysts facilitate decarboxylation and other reactions that reduce oxygenated hydrocarbons and acidity without requiring post-processing hydrogenation
2Object-affected harmful factors
If further processing is applied to reduce acidity of pyrolysis oil, then the oil becomes less corrosive, but phase instability occurs and processing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs acidity reduction and stabilization during the pyrolysis process itself rather than as a subsequent step. By adjusting pyrolysis parameters and catalyst composition in advance, the bio-oil is produced with reduced acidity and improved phase stability simultaneously, avoiding the need for costly post-processing that causes phase separation
3Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional processing methods are used to convert pyrolysis oil to fuel, then acidity is reduced, but high hydrogen costs are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/chemical hydrogenation process with a thermal-catalytic pyrolysis process. Instead of using expensive hydrogen gas and high-pressure hydrogenation equipment, the invention uses heat and solid catalysts to achieve decarboxylation and acidity reduction, eliminating hydrogen consumption costs while achieving the same acidity reduction goal
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process results in a bio-oil with significantly reduced acidity and increased heat of combustion, reducing corrosiveness and processing costs, making it more suitable as a renewable feedstock for refinery operations and transportation fuels.
Implementation Method 1
treating a lignocellulosic biomass feedstock with a metal oxide catalyst on an oxide support under treating conditions to produce a treated stream
Implementation Method 2
regenerating the spent metal oxide catalyst in the fluidized bed regenerator by removing coke from the spent metal oxide catalyst in a combustion process that regenerates the spent metal oxide catalyst into the metal oxide catalyst
Implementation Method 3
Fast pyrolysis is a thermal process during which solid biomass feedstock containing lignocellulosic material is rapidly heated to pyrolysis temperatures of about 300° C. to about 900° C. in the absence of air
Data Source
AI summary
A process is provided for producing reduced acid lignocellulosic-derived bio-oil. treating a lignocellulosic biomass feedstock in a moving bed reactor with a metal oxide catalyst on an oxide support under treating conditions to produce a treated stream; directing spent metal oxide catalyst from the moving bed reactor to a fluidized bed regenerator, the spent metal oxide catalyst resulting from treating the lignocellulosic biomass feedstock with the metal oxide catalyst; regenerating the spent metal oxide catalyst in the fluidized bed regenerator by removing coke from the spent metal oxide catalyst in a combustion process that regenerates the spent metal oxide catalyst into the metal oxide catalyst; and returning to the moving bed reactor the metal oxide catalyst that has been regenerated in the fluidized bed regenerator. The obtained bio-oil is particularly suitable as a renewable feedstock for hydroprocessing in biofuel manufacture.