Nazim Muradov, Ali TRaissi

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Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass to Liquid
Hydrocarbons as Substitutes for Petroleum-Based
Fuels

• Nazim Muradov, Ali T-Raissi
• Karthik Kallupallayam, Nathaniel Garceau
• Florida Solar Energy Center
• University of Central Florida
• 2008 Farm to Fuel Summit
• Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, Florida
• August 1, 2008

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Objectives

• to demonstrate viability and cost effectiveness
  of the energy-efficient conversion of
  Florida-grown crops, agricultural wastes and
  biomass-derived feedstocks (e.g., biogas,
  landfill gas) to clean-burning hydrocarbon-based
  biofuels using advanced thermocatalytic
  processes.
• to determine the performance of these biofuels
  and their potential as substitutes for the
  petroleum-based transportation fuels, i.e.,
  gasoline and diesel.

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Advantages of HC-Biofuels

• Advantages of Hydrocarbon-
• based Biofuels (HC-Biofuels)
• (or 2nd Generation Biofuels)
• use of non-food biomass
• feedstock flexibility
• sustainable source (any biomass)
• high energy density

Comparison of Volumetric Energy Density of
Different Fuels
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Biomass-to-Fuels Technologies
Main Technological Routes to Production of Liquid
Fuels from Biomass
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Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels
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Comparison of Technologies
Biomass-to-Fuel

• Hydrothermal Liquefaction
• in RD stage
• requires hydrogen
• can use wet biomass

• Gasification-FT
• established technology
• requires oxygen
• uses dry biomass feed
• can use biogas LFG

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Biomass Feedstocks

• Agricultural wastes
• - citrus waste
• - bagasse
• Animal wastes
• Crop residues
• Grasses
• Algae
• Biogas, landfill gas

Citrus Pulp Pellets
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Biomass-to-Fuel Concept
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Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis of Biofuels
Experimental set-up for production of
hydrocarbons from bio-syngas
Raw product of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
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Analysis of Hydrocarbon-based Biofuels
Gas chromatogram of the liquid product (C5-C22)
produced from syngas by FT synthesis using
Fe-based catalyst. T340oC, P10 atm.
FTIR spectrum of the liquid hydrocarbon product
(C5-C22) produced by FT Synthesis.
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Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL)
orange peel- 84 liquefied pine-
82 aspen- 78 grass- 76
High-pressure reactor for hydrothermal
liquefaction of biomass
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Analysis of Products of HTL
FTIR spectrum of the ether extract of the black
liquor produced from orange peel
- CH2 -
UV-VIS spectra of the black liquor produced from
orange peel and pine
Ar-O-
orange peel
pine
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Future Work

• Down-select the technological route for biomass
• conversion to biofuels synthesis vs liquefaction
• Upgrade raw biofuels to high quality fuels
• comparable to commercial transportation fuels
• Characterize raw and upgraded biofuels and
• carbonaceous byproducts
• Conduct techno-economic evaluation of the
• biomass-to-fuel process
• Make a recommendation on the commercial
• viability of the process.

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Acknowledgement
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services. Contract 013670
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Thank you.