FAST PYROLYSIS OF SPRUCE WOOD AND WHEAT STRAW IN A FLUIDIZED BED REACTOR

Fast pyrolysis is a thermochemical conversion process that has gained increased attention over the last decade since it offers an effective way to produce valuable bio-oil as a green alternative to crude oil in the production of liquid fuels, platform chemicals and materials. A clear understanding of how the feedstock composition impacts on the distribution and quality of pyrolysis products is important for both the optimization of the process and the design of bio-oil upgrading strategies. To address this knowledge gap, the conversion of two different types of biomass (i.e., spruce wood and wheat straw) into bio-oil has been experimentally investigated and the obtained results are described in the present work. In more detail, the pyrolysis experiments were performed in a bench-scale fluidized bed reactor at 500 °C and at atmospheric pressure, using a feed particle size smaller than 1 mm and a gas residence time of about 1 s, which allowed to achieve relatively high yields of the liquid product for the two investigated feedstocks (72% for spruce wood and 44% for wheat straw). Results highlight that the biomass composition significantly affects the distribution and the composition of pyrolysis products.