Introduction

1. Catalytic hydrotreatment of pyrolysis oil with heterogeneous Ru/C catalysts: Insight in pathway and mass transfer effects • R. Ardiyanti1, J. E. S. Westra1, F. de Miguel Mercader2,R. H. Venderbosch3, J. A. Hogendoorn2, H. J. Heeres1 Introduction Background Hypothesis: hydrotreatment pathway (Venderbosch, et al , 2010) • Pyrolysis oil (from fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass) is an attractive energy carrier, since it is renewable and easy to transport. • Hydrotreatment with Ru/C has been proved to improve the quality of the pyrolysis oil, so it can be used as co-feeding for existing refineries. • Mechanism of hydrotreatment, and mass transfer effects, are not fully understood. Objectives • Understanding the mechanism of hydrotreatment with Ru/C, and possible mass transfer effects (G/L, L/S) Hydrotreatment pathway Experiment Set-Up Set-up Conditions: • Autoclave, batch mode, 100 ml volume Conditions: • Feed: 25 g of pine pyrolysis oil, catalyst: Ru/C, starting H2 pressure: 120 bar at room temperature Variables: • Severity (T,t): from 80 oC (1 h) to 80 oC (1h)+150 oC (1h) + 350 oC (2h) • Catalyst intake: 1 – 5 wt% of feed • Catalyst particle size: 23 μm – 525 μm Products: • Gas (CO2, CH4, C2 – C3), organic phase (upgraded oil), aqueous phase Pathway: Analysis: • Van Krevelen plot (O/C vs H/C), H2 consumption, Mw. Desired properties: high H/C and low Mw of the organic phase. High H2 uptake indicates high catalyst activity. Catalyst intake Catalyst particle size • Large catalyst particle size resulted in low catalyst activity, low H/C ratio of organic phase, and catalyst activity. • Indication that the reaction occurs mainly on the surface of the catalyst particle. • High catalyst intake gave lower H2 uptake (per g active metal) • At high catalyst intake, the order of reaction ≠ 1 with respect to catalyst concentration. (1) Chemical Engineering Department, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (2) Thermo-Chemical Conversion of Biomass Group, University of Twente, The Netherlands (3) BTG Biomass Technology Group BV, Enschede, The Netherlands Further information: A.R.Ardiyanti@rug.nl