Optimized biofuel production via upgrading by catalytic pyrolysis and hydrotreatment

Pyrolysis of forestry biomass followed by co-refining to transportation fuels is a method with high commercial interest. Significant technical difficulties exist for co-processing more than a few percentages of pyrolysis oil with fossil feedstocks in today’s refineries. This relates to the high oxygen content of pyrolysis oil.

This project will perform an experimental (pilot and lab scale) and system-based (techno-economic and sustainability) evaluation of a two-stage process that enables pyrolysis oil upgrading in existing refineries with a high mass efficiency.

The process is based on two catalytic steps: pyrolysis and hydrodeoxygenation. Via catalytic pyrolysis a stabile pyrolysis oil with lower oxygen content is produced with promising properties for existing hydrotreatment units. The two-stage process can allow a higher carbon yield and resource efficiency. Commercial catalysts are evaluated in facilities that model refineries for this to be commercially applicable in short time.