Recent advances on fast hydropyrolysis of biomass

• Published in: Catalysis today 2016-07, Vol.269, p.148-155
• Main Author: Resende, Fernando L.P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomass; Fast hydropyrolysis; Fast pyrolysis; HDO; Hydropyrolysis; Hydrotreating
• ISSN: 0920-5861; 1873-4308
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2016.01.004

[Display omitted] •Fast hydropyrolysis produces a wide range of hydrocarbons for use as drop-in fuels.•Several configurations for the fast hydropyrolysis reactor and hydrotreating upgrade have been studied.•The addition of a secondary upgrading unit may lead to hydrocarbons other than aromatics.•Technical, economic and GHG analyses demonstrate that fast hydropyrolysis has a large potential for commercialization Even though hydropyrolysis of biomass has been studied for many years, it was characterized by long residence times and low heating rates. On the other hand, fast hydropyrolysis, the rapid decomposition of an organic material under a hydrogen atmosphere, has been primarily reported only over the last five years. There is growing interest in the topic, and this brief article reviews fast hydropyrolysis of biomass, describing previous findings, current challenges, and research opportunities for the future. The current literature shows that catalytic fast hydropyrolysis produces primarily aromatic hydrocarbons, but alkanes and naphthenes can also be produced under appropriate conditions if a secondary unit is added for hydrotreating (ex-situ upgrading). Compared to catalytic fast pyrolysis, the higher yields of hydrocarbons and much slower catalyst deactivation due to coking promising. Yields in the range of 80–95gal/t can be obtained, and the process economics is equivalent to those of other biofuel processes, such as fast pyrolysis followed by hydrotreating/hydrocracking.