Liquid Fuels from Biomass Cracking

AbstractDuring the catalytic cracking of agricultural lignocellulosic bio-waste it is possible to obtain a liquid condensate with the yield of the bio-oil is up to 19wt. % in experiments with vegetable oil in input material. Bio-oils originating only from agricultural biomass give the yield of max. 2wt. % with the respect to the input. In the batch process, better results in the yield of bio-oil were found. Cracking of agricultural waste, running in continuous pilot scale reactor with screw mixers at temperatures from 390 to 450°C, results in the significant yield of bio-gasses. The portion of gaseous products varies from 25wt. % (corn combs with vegetable oil, reed) to 62wt. % (dry leaves), depending on cracking conditions, type of biomass, presence of zeolite catalyst or vegetable oil. These gases are flammable and can be used as motor fuel and/or energetic purposes

High Temperature conversion of fats: Cracking, gasification, esterification and transesterification

Burning fossil fuels increases the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Alternative sources of energy are necessary to control global warming. Diverse synthetic methods transform vegetable oils and animal fats, inexpensive carbon sources to biofuels. This chapter reviews the main chemical and thermal processes that transform triglycerides into fuels. We collected the most cited and recent scientific publications about transesterification, thermal and catalytic cracking, and gasification reactions and their respective technologies