Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Biomass Pre-Treatments for Biorefinery Applications: Pyrolysis

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Pretreatment Techniques for Biofuels and Biorefineries

Part of the book series: Green Energy and Technology ((GREEN))

Abstract

Biorefineries are small integrated plants aiming at the recovery of specific biomass wastes via their conversion to high-value biofuels and chemicals. Pyrolysis is among the promising technologies to achieve this goal. Three major factors influence the development of a pyrolysis process: the type of biomass, process operating conditions and choice of reactor technology. In this chapter, pyrolysis as a solution to sustain biorefineries is reviewed. The chapter first discusses the various biomass feedstocks and their important characteristics. Secondly, the pyrolysis concepts and kinetics are reviewed in light of their importance in process design and modelling. The chapter also discusses the influence of several process conditions and reactor technologies on pyrolysis reaction and pyrolysis products behaviour. Finally, strategies for product optimization and avoiding purity issues are analyzed. The emphasis of this chapter is put on technologies that have been developed at commercial scale.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Using 500 µm square wood particles showing average properties with nitrogen as a fluidization medium operating at atmospheric pressure and 773°K. Heating rate estimated at 250°K temperature difference between the gas and particle with the lumped-capacitance method.

References

  1. Demirbas A (2009) Biorefineries: for biomass upgrading facilities. Springer-Verlag, London

    Google Scholar 

  2. Kamm B, Gruber P, Kamm M (2010) Biorefineries—industrial processes and products. Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  3. Brown R, Stevens C (2011) Thermochemical processing of biomass: conversion into fuels chemicals and power. Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  4. Crocker M (2010) Thermochemical conversion of biomass to liquid fuels and chemicals. R Soc Chem

    Google Scholar 

  5. Waldron K (2010) Bioalcohol production: biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass. Taylor & Francis

    Google Scholar 

  6. Basu P (2010) Biomass gasification and pyrolysis: practical design and theory. Elsevier

    Google Scholar 

  7. Azargohar R, Dalai A (2006) Biochar as a precursor to activated carbon. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 131(1–3):762–773

    Google Scholar 

  8. US Department of Energy (2012) Feedstock types. Consulted on February 1st, 20112, sur. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/feedstocks_types.html

  9. Harkin J, Rowe J (1971) Bark and its possible uses. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Madison

    Google Scholar 

  10. Klass D (1998) Biomass for renewable energy, fuels, and chemicals. Academic Press

    Google Scholar 

  11. Tillman D (1981) Wood combustion: principles, processes and economics. Academic Press

    Google Scholar 

  12. Gavrilescu D (2008) Energy from biomass in pulp and paper mills. Environ Eng Manage J 7(5):537–546

    Google Scholar 

  13. Onay O, Beis S, Kockar O (2001) Fast pyrolysis of rape seed in a well-swept fixed-bed reactor. J Anal Appl Pyrolysis 58–59, pp 995–1007

    Google Scholar 

  14. Rodrigues I, Coelho J, Carvalho M (2012) Isolation and valorisation of vegetable proteins from oilseeds plants: methods, limitations and potential. J Food Eng 109:337–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Li A, Li X, Li S, Ren Y, Shang N, Chi Y (1999) Experimental studies on municipal solid waste pyrolysis in a laboratory scale rotary-kiln. Energy 24:209–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Brebu P, Ucar S, Vasile C, Yanik J (2010) Co-pyrolysis of pine cone with synthetic polymers. Fuel 89(8):1911–1918

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. USDA Forest Service (2007) Timber product output database. Consulted on January 2012, on forest inventory analysis. http://fia.fs.fed.us

  18. Bhattacharya P, Parthiban V, Kunzru D (1986) Pyrolysis of black liquor solids. Ind Eng Chem Process Des Dev 25(2):420–426

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Langholtz M, Carter D, Rockwood D, Alavalapati J (2007) The economic feasibility of reclaiming phosphate mined land with short rotation woody crops in Florida. J For Econ 12:237–249

    Google Scholar 

  20. Boateng A, Daugaard D, Goldberg N, Hicks K (2007) Bench-scale fluidized-bed pyrolysis of switchgrass for bio-oil production. Ind Eng Chem Res 46:1891–1897

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Imam T, Capareda S (2012) Characterization of bio-oil, syn-gas and bio-char from switchgrass pyrolysis at various temperatures. J Anal Appl Pyrol 93:170–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Singh R, Shadangi K (2011) Liquid fuel from castor seeds by pyrolysis. Fuel 90:2538–2544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. National Agricultural Statistics Service (1995) Agricultural statistics. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Mani T, Murugan P, Abedi J, Mahinpey N (2010) Pyrolysis of wheat straw in a thermogravimetric analyzer: effect of particle size and heating rate on devolatilization and estimation of global kinetics. Chem Eng Res Des 88:952–958

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Mansaray K, Ghaly A (1999) Kinetics of the thermal degradation rice husks in nitrogen atmosphere. Energy Sources 21:773–784

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Sharma A, Rao R (1999) Kinetics of pyrolysis of rice husk. Bioresour Technol 67:53–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Geldart D (1973) Types of gas fluidization. Powder Technol 7(5):285–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Bi H, Grace J, Zhu J (1995) Regime transitions affecting gas-solids suspensions and fluidized beds. Chem Eng Res Des 73(2):154–161

    Google Scholar 

  29. Kanury A (1994) Combustion characteristics of biomass fuels. Combust Sci Technol 97(4–6):469–491

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Edwards W (1991) In: Klass D (ed) Energy from biomass and wastes XV. Chicago, Institute of gas technology, p 503

    Google Scholar 

  31. Mujumdar A (2007) Handbook of industrial drying. CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Joung HT, Seo YC, Kim KH, Seo YC (2006) Effects of oxygen, catalyst and PVC on the formation of PCDDs, PCDFs and dioxin-like PCBs in pyrolysis products of automobile residues. Chemosphere 65:1481–1489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Wendlandt W (1982) Thermal analysis. Anal Chem 54(5):97R–105R

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Chang YM (1996) On pyrolysis of waste tire: degradation rate and product yields. Resour Conserv Recy 17:125–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Varhegyi G, Bobaly B, Jakab E, Chen H (2011) Thermogravimetric study of biomass pyrolysis kinetics: a distributed activation energy model with prediction tests. Energy Fuels 25(1):24–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Babu B (2008) Biomass pyrolysis: a state-of-the-art review. Biofuels, Bioprod Biorefin 2(5):393–414

    Google Scholar 

  37. Gasparovic L, Korenova Z, Jelemsky L (2010) Kinetic study of wood chips decomposition by TGA. Chem Pap 64(2):174–181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Rao R, Sharma A (1998) Pyrolysis rates of biomass materials. Energy 23(11):973–978

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Roberts AF (1970) A review of kinetics data for the pyrolysis of wood and related substances. Combust Flame 14(2):261–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Jiang G, Nowakowski DJ, Brigwater AV (2010) A systematic study of the kinetics of lignin pyrolysis. Thermochim Acta 498:61–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Bridgwater A (2012) Review of fast pyrolysis of biomass and product upgrading. Biomass Bioenergy 38:68–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Williams P, Besler S, Taylor D (1990) The pyrolysis of scrap automotive tyres: the influence of temperature and heating rate on product composition. Fuel 69(12):1474–1482

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Demirbas A (2004) Effect of initial moisture content on the yields of oily products from pyrolysis of biomass. J Anal Appl Pyrol 71(2):803–815

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Chen G, Sjostrom K, Bjornbom E (1992) Pyrolysis/gasification of wood in a pressurized fluidized bed reactor. Ind Eng Chem Res 31(12):2764–2768

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Pindoria R, Megaritis A, Messenbock R, Dugwell D, Kandiyoti R (1998) Comparison of the pyrolysis and gasification of biomass: effect of reacting gas atmosphere and pressure on Eucalyptus wood. Fuel 77(11):1247–1251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Weiland N, Means N, Morreale B (2012) Product distributions from isothermal co-pyrolysis of coal and biomass. Fuel 94:563–570

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Mullen C, Boateng A, Mihalcik D, Goldberg N (2011) Catalytic fast pyrolysis of white oak wood in a bubbling fluidized bed. Energy Fuels 25:5444–5451

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Kunii D, Levenspiel O (1991) Fluidization engineering, 2nd edn. Butterworth-Heinemann

    Google Scholar 

  49. Yang WC (2003) Handbook of fluidization and fluid-particle systems (Chemical Industries). CRC Press

    Google Scholar 

  50. Dynamotive Energy (2012) Corporate history. consulted on March 1st, 2012, on Dynamotive, the evolution of energy. http://www.dynamotive.com/about/corporate-history/

  51. Clausthal University of Technology, Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Fuel Technology, Prof. Dr.-Ing. R Weber. http://www.ievb.tu-clausthal.de

  52. Kothari A (1967) Master Thesis. Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  53. Avidan A, Yerushalmi J (1985) Solids mixing in an expanded top fluid bed. AICHe J 31(5):835–841

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Watanabe I, Yong C, Hasatani M, Yushen X, Naruse I (1991) Gas to particle heat transfer in fast fluidized beds. Circulating Fluidized Bed Technology III. Pergamon Press, pp 283–287)

    Google Scholar 

  55. Wang H, Srinivasan R, Yu F, Steele P, Li Q, Mitchell B (2011) Effect of acid, alkali and steam explosion pretreatments on characteristics of bio-oil produced from pinewood. Energy Fuels 25:3758–3764

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. Lima I, Boateng A, Klasson K (2010) Physicochemical and adsorptive properties of fast pyrolysis bio-chars and their steam activated counterparts. J Chem Technol Biotechnol 85:1515–1521

    Google Scholar 

  57. Ranz W (1952, May) Friction and transfer coefficients for single particles and packed beds. Chem Eng Prog 48(5):247–253

    Google Scholar 

  58. Van der Drift A, Boerrigter H, Coda B, Cieplik M, Hemmes K (2004) Entrained flow gasification of biomass. ECN

    Google Scholar 

  59. Sun S, Tian H, Zhao Y, Sun R, Zhou H (2010) Experimental and numerical study of biomass flash pyrolysis in an entrained-flow reactor. Bioresour Technol 101:3678–3784

    Article  Google Scholar 

  60. Mellmann J (2001) The transverse motion of solids in rotating cylinders—forms of motion and transition behaviour. Powder Technol 118:251–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  61. Fantozzi F, Colantoni S, Bartocci P, Desideri U (2007) Rotary kiln slow pyrolysis for syngas and char production from biomass and waste—Part II: introducing product yields in the energy balance. J Eng Gas Turbines Power 129:908–913

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Ingram L, Mohan D, Bricka M, Steele P, Strobel D, Crocker D, Mitchell B, Mohammad J, Cantrell K, Pittman Jr CU (2008) Pyrolysis of wood and bark in an auger reactor: physical properties and chemical analysis of the produced bio-oils. Energy Fuels 22:614–625

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Thangalazhy-Gopakumar S, Adhikari S, Ravindran H, Gupta RB, Fasina O, Tu M, Fernando SD (2010) Physicochemical properties of bio-oil produced at various temperatures from pine wood using an auger reactor. Bioresour Technol 101:8389–8395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. He R, Ye X, English B, Satrio J (2009) Influence of pyrolysis condition on switchgrass bio-oil yield and physicochemical properties. Bioresour Technol 100:5305–5311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. Sanchez ME, Menendez JA, Dominguez A, Pis JJ, Martinez O, Calvo LF, Bernad PL (2009) Effect of pyrolysis temperature on the composition of the oils obtained from sewage sludge. Biomass Bioenergy 22:922–940

    Google Scholar 

  66. Mohan D, Pittman Jr C, Steele P (2006) Pyrolysis of wood/biomass for bio-oil: a critical review. Energy Fuels 20:848–889

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. Khan M (1987) Production of high quality liquid fuels from coal by mild pyrolysis of coal/lime mixtures. Energy Fuels 5(2):185–231

    Google Scholar 

  68. Lin L, Khang S, Keener T (1997) Coal desulfurization by mild pyrolysis in a dual-auger coal feeder. Fuel Process Technol 53:15–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  69. Cho MH, Jung SH, Kim JS (2010) Pyrolysis of mixed plastic wastes for the recovery of benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) aromatics in a fluidized bed and chlorine removal by applying various additives. Energy Fuels 24:1389–1395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  70. Huber G, Iborra S, Corma A (2006) Synthesis of transportation fuels from biomass: chemistry, catalysts and engineering. Chem Rev 106:4044–4098

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Engineering Department, École Polytechnique de Montréal, C.P. 6079, succ. Centre-Ville, H3C 3A7, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Jean-Remi Lanteigne, Jean-Philippe Laviolette & Jamal Chaouki

Authors
  1. Jean-Remi Lanteigne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jean-Philippe Laviolette
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jamal Chaouki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jamal Chaouki .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xuefulu 88, Kunming, 650223, China, People's Republic

    Zhen Fang

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Lanteigne, JR., Laviolette, JP., Chaouki, J. (2013). Biomass Pre-Treatments for Biorefinery Applications: Pyrolysis. In: Fang, Z. (eds) Pretreatment Techniques for Biofuels and Biorefineries. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32735-3_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32735-3_11

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-32734-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-32735-3

  • eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation