[Stoves] Pyrolysis oil into kerosene

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Dear Anil and Roger Samson (of Switchgrass fame)

 

The University of Illinois has been looking at making bioethanol from grasses instead of corn (which I suppose is still a form of grass!) and concluded that Roger is in the right track: use Switchgrass for more productivity.

 

Now, all they have to do is convince themselves that burning switchgrass pellets is better than bothering to make liquid fuels from it.

 

Ignore the part of the paper that says there will be a reduction in greenhouses gases of 473%. Not all researchers are good at math.

 

Regards

Crispin

 

>From http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/07/12/the-grass-is-greener-on-the-ethanol-model-side/#more-43344 

 

The grass is greener on the ethanol model side

Posted on  <http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/07/12/the-grass-is-greener-on-the-ethanol-model-side/> July 12, 2011 by  <http://wattsupwiththat.com/author/wattsupwiththat/> Anthony Watts 

>From the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign <http://www.uiuc.edu/> 

Switch from corn to grass would raise ethanol output, cut emissions

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Growing perennial grasses on the least productive farmland now used for corn ethanol production in the U.S. would result in higher overall corn yields, more ethanol output per acre and better groundwater quality, researchers report in a new study <http://www.esajournals.org/toc/fron/0/0> . The switch would also slash emissions of two potent greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.

The study used a computer model of plant growth and soil chemistry to compare the ecological effects of growing corn (Zea mays L.); miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus), a sterile hybrid grass used in bioenergy production in Western Europe; and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), which is native to the U.S.

The analysis found that switching 30 percent of the least productive corn acres to miscanthus offered the most ecological advantages.

“If cellulosic feedstocks (such as miscanthus) were planted on cropland that is currently used for ethanol production in the U.S., we could achieve more ethanol (plus 82 percent) and grain for food (plus 4 percent), while reducing nitrogen leaching (minus 15 to 22 percent) and greenhouse gas emissions (minus 29 percent to 473 percent),” the researchers wrote in their report, published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

[snip]

The paper, “Impact of Second-Generation Biofuel Agriculture on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Corn-Growing Regions of the U.S.,” is available online or from the U. of I. News Bureau.

 

+++++++++

 

Thanks Crispin for the insight and details. In 1992 when pyrolysis oil R&D was in infancy I was involved little bit in its propagation and research. Since I left this field long ago I was interested in knowing whether somebody has been able to produce kerosene directly from biomass via the fast combustion process rather than going through pyrolysis oil route.

 

Any published work on this? 

 

Warm regards. Anil

 

On Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 7:38 AM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott <crispinpigott at gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Anil

 

It will be a form of bioparaffin which is chemically the same as biodiesel but slightly ‘thinner’. If you assume that transesterification of the input materials makes an array of carbohydrogens from CH4 to C25H52 or so, then the faction between C9H20 and C20H42 will be ‘paraffin’ by general classification.

 

If it is already very thin oil (not like sunflower oil, for example) it may need polymerisation, not mild decomposition with caustic soda. If you have a) and ultimate analysis and b) some characterisation of the chain lengths perhaps the biodiesel or bioenergy association of some country could give you an estimated yield. For example http://www.saba.za.org/site One of their members (at least) makes a container-mounted sunflower to diesel unit that produces about 3 litres per second.

 

Regards

Crispin

 

 

Hello Stovers,


 

Is anybody in the group aware of any work on converting pyrolysis oil into kerosene? Any numbers on the yields (kg of kerosene/kg of residues or raw material).

 

Any references will be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers. Anil

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