More efficient biofuel production through pyrolysis oil fractionation and upgrading

Pyrolysis oil-based biofuel production is currently commercially very relevant. This project aims to increase the efficiency of the value chain by adapting the upgrading of the various chemical groups of pyrolysis oil to their properties.

The pyrolysis oil's content of small oxygen-rich compounds (incl. sugar) gives both low fuel yields and high hydrogen consumption in refinery-based upgrading. Total yield can be increased by separating these and fermenting sugar to ethanol, while the residual lower oxygen pyrolytic lignin phase can be more efficiently upgraded to hydrocarbon-based fuels in the refinery.

The project concerns a technical proof of concept study with a systems analysis to quantify the technology's competitiveness with respect to economy, resource efficiency and climate performance. The project is commercially relevant in the relatively short term, as it utilizes existing technology for pyrolysis and fermentation and facilitates the refinery-based upgrading.