EUBCE 2024 - Devinder SINGH - Heterogenous Catalysts for Maximizing Hydrothermal Liquefaction Bio-Crude Yields and Reducing Process Severity

Heterogenous Catalysts for Maximizing Hydrothermal Liquefaction Bio-Crude Yields and Reducing Process Severity

Short Introductive summary

Waste feedstocks offer huge potential as starting feedstocks for bio-fuels and renewable chemicals. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a promising technology for niche low quality, high moisture feedstocks. The economics and energetics of waste to liquid fuel HTL process is strongly influenced by yields, quality of bio-crude and severity of the process. In an effort to improve these attributes, several commercial and new catalysts were developed and tested: Ru/Al2O3, NiMo//Al2O3, Pd/Al2O3, FeMo/ C, Fe, Fe on C, CeO2, SiO2-Al2O3, ZSM-5, and several bi-metallic nano-catalysts at varying ratios. Most catalysts showed minor improvements. However, using a combination of gas atmosphere and new bi-metallic catalysts, HTL bio-crude yields using food waste as the feedstock increased from around 38 wt. % for “no catalyst” case to 72 wt. % for new bi-metallic nano-catalysts, at a much lower temperature (300 ?) than traditional HTL operation. Energy recoveries improved significantly and carbon recovery in bio-crude was higher than 90 percent. The presentation will focus on results from various catalysts, their characterization and specific reaction pathways that increase yields.

D. Singh, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, CANADA
S. Ebrahim, University of Ottawa, CANADA
E. Baranova, University of Ottawa, CANADA
M. Jankovic, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, CANADA