V. Amar, A. Shende, R. Shende
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology,
United States
Keywords: BTMO nanoparticles, hydrothermal liquefaction, lignocellulosic biomass, biocrude, bio-oil
Summary:
Binary transition metal oxide nanoparticles, M1M2Fe2O4 (where M1 or M2 = Ni, Zn, Co), were prepared using a soft templating approach and characterized by powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyzer. Nanoparticles with the specific surface area of ~35 m2/g were investigated as a catalytic material for hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of a lignocellulosic biomass with >20 wt% lignin content. An aqueous slurry of a biomass (10-15 wt% loading) was loaded in a high-temperature high-pressure 300 mL batch reactor and heated to different temperatures of 250 - 300oC and pressures of 600 - 1600 psi. Following the HTL reaction, the aqueous phase (biocrude) was separated from char and analyzed for different compounds such as organic acids, alcohols, esters, ethers, and ketones using HPLC and GCMS. Total organic carbon (TOC) of the biocrude was analyzed using TOC analyzer. The bio-oil was extracted from the biochar via acetone extraction, which was characterized for higher heating value (HHV) using elemental analysis. Detailed synthesis and characterization of BTMO nanoparticles, and the products derived from HTL of a biomass will be reported.