Degradation of structural alloys in biomass-derived pyrolysis oil

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

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Biomass can be processed through fast pyrolysis or other methods to produce a liquid with properties that are particularly attractive for producing hydrocarbons that could be substituted for liquid fuels currently derived from petroleum. However, these biomass-derived liquids contain a significant amount of oxygen, much of which is present in the form of water and carboxylic acids, and these components present a number of problems. Measurements of total acid number (TAN) of biomass-derived pyrolysis oil samples show that values in the 60-100 range (roughly equivalent to a pH in the 2-3 range) are fairly common. This level of acidity is severe enough to influence the selection of structural materials that are used in the production, subsequent processing, storage, and transport of pyrolysis oils. Chemical analyses have been conducted and laboratory corrosion studies performed to determine the aggressiveness of the raw pyrolysis oil from several biomass sources. Studies have also assessed the corrosion caused by various boiling-point fractions of oil that have been treated to reduce their acid and oxygen content. Components of biomass pyrolyzers have been fabricated from selected candidate alloys, and these components have been exposed for extended periods during pyrolyzer operation. This paper reports the results of these analyses and corrosion studies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)16-22
Number of pages7
JournalJ-FOR
Volume3
Issue number3
StatePublished - 2013
Externally publishedYes

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