Corrosion studies of raw and treated biomass-derived pyrolysis oils

James R. Keiser, Michael Howell, Samuel A. Lewis, Raynella M. Connatser

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Rapid pyrolysis of biomass generates a liquid with properties that are particularly attractive for production of hydrocarbons that could be substituted for liquid fuels derived from petroleum. However, the high oxygen content of the biomass derived liquids presents a number of problems because of the high water content and the considerable concentration of carboxylic acids. Measurements of total acid number (TAN) of pyrolysis oil (bio-oil) samples show that values in the 90-100 range are fairly common. This level of acidity has been shown to cause corrosion problems that have to be addressed in the selection of structural materials that are used in the production, subsequent processing, storage and transport of the pyrolysis oils. Chemical analyses have been performed and laboratory corrosion studies have been conducted in order to assess the aggressiveness of the raw pyrolysis oil from several sources as well as the corrosion caused by a bio-oil that has been treated to reduce the acid and oxygen content. Components of biomass pyrolyzers have also been fabricated from various candidate alloys, and these components have been exposed for extended periods during operation of the pyrolyzers. This paper will report on results of these analyses and corrosion studies.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationNACE International - Corrosion Conference and Expo 2012
PublisherNACE International
Pages5031-5040
Number of pages10
ISBN (Print)9781622760787
StatePublished - 2012
EventCorrosion 2012 - Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Duration: Mar 11 2012Mar 15 2012

Publication series

NameNACE - International Corrosion Conference Series
Volume6
ISSN (Print)0361-4409

Conference

ConferenceCorrosion 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySalt Lake City, UT
Period03/11/1203/15/12

Keywords

  • Acetic acid
  • Bio-oil
  • Biomass
  • Carboxylic acids
  • Corrosion
  • Formic acid
  • Hydrotreated pyrolysis oil
  • Pyrolysis oil

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