Bio-oil was produced at 450°C by fast pyrolysis in a continuous auger reactor. Four feed stocks were used: pine wood, pine bark, oak wood, and oak bark. After extensive characterization of the whole bio-oils and their pyrolytic lignin-rich ethyl acetate fractions by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), calorific values, viscosity dependences on shear rates and temperatures, elemental analyses, 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy, water analyses, and ash content, these bio-oils were shown to be comparable to bio-oils produced by fast pyrolysis in fluidized bed and vacuum pyrolysis processes. This finding suggests that portable auger reactors might be used to produce bio-oil at locations in forests to generate bio-oil on-site for transport of the less bulky bio-oil (versus raw biomass) to biorefineries or power generation units. The pyrolysis reported herein had lower heat transfer rates than those achieved in fluidized bed reactors, suggesting significant further improvements are possible.

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Bio-oil produced from pinewood by fast pyrolysis has the potential to be a valuable substitute for fossil fuels. Pretreatment prior to the fast pyrolysis process has been shown to alter the structure and chemical composition of biomass. To determine the influence of biomass pretreatments on bio-oil produced during fast pyrolysis, we tested three pretreatment methods: dilute acid, dilute alkali, and steam explosion. Bio-oils were produced from untreated and pretreated pinewood feedstocks in an auger reactor at 450 °C. The bio-oils' physical properties including pH, water content, acid value, density, viscosity, and heating value were measured. Chemical characteristics of the bio-oils were determined by gas chromatographyÀmass spectrometry. Results showed that bio-oil yield and composition were influenced by biomass pretreatment. Of the three pretreatment methods, 1% H 2 SO 4 pretreatment resulted in the highest bio-oil yield and best bio-oil quality.

Corn stalks were converted to bio-oils by fast pyrolsis in an auger fed reactor at 400 and 450 °C. Both acidpretreated and untreated corn stalks were pyrolyzed. Proximate and ultimate analyses of the corn stalk feeds and bio-oils were performed, and the bio-oils were characterized by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), 13 C and 1 H NMR spectroscopy, pH, ash, and viscosity measurements, and solids content and water analyses. Corn stalks have lower lignin content than wood, leading to lower bio-oil yields, more water produced and different chemical compositions than pine wood bio-oil generated in the same auger reactor. Acid pretreatment of stalks increased the biooil yields and decreased the char yields at both pyrolysis temperatures. Acid-treated stalks had lower water content, and pH, viscosity, and filterable solid values were lower than those of bio-oil from untreated stalks. Several compounds found in the biooil from untreated stalks were not detected in the bio-oil from acid-treated stalks. Thirty two compounds were quantitated in the GC/MS analysis of the two bio-oils. Gel permeation chromatography analysis indicated the presence of a significant fraction of high boiling point compounds that did not pass through the GC columns with bio-oils from both pretreated and untreated stalks. Weight averaged molecular weights of 490 and 530 for acid-treated and untreated stalks, respectively, were indicated by GPC. Portable auger reactors might be used for local production of corn stalk bio-oils during harvest, thereby avoiding the need to transport bulky, low density corn stalk or stover biomass to biorefineries or power generation units.