Systems and methods for producing fuels from biomass

• US 9,102,877 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sartec
• Original Assignee: Sartec
• Inventors: McNeff, Clayton V., Yan, Bingwen
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, In Suk
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pregler, Sharon
• Application Number:
  US12/617,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20100170147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 585/240, 585/638, 585/639, 585/631, 208/75, 208/76, 208/77, 208/137, 446/05, 443/08, 443/88, 443/89, 444/51
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 19/00 Heating of coke ovens by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 53/02 of cellulose-containing material production of pyroligneous acid C10C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/06 by destructive hydrogenation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1014 of vegetal origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/203 Naphthenic acids, TAN
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/4006 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/04 Diesel oil
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 29/02 Non-metals
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/44 characterised by the catalyst used
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/19 Esters ester radical containing compounds; ester ethers; carbonic acid esters C10L1/1802, C10L1/1805, C10L1/1808, C10L1/1811, C10L1/1814, C10L1/1817 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 using bio-feedstock

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods for producing fuels. In an embodiment, the invention includes a method of producing a diesel-equivalent fuel, including pyrolyzing biomass to form a pyrolysis oil and contacting the pyrolysis oil and an alcohol with a metal oxide catalyst at a temperature of greater than about 60 degrees Celsius. In an embodiment, the invention includes a method of refining pyrolysis oil including contacting pyrolysis oil and an alcohol with a metal oxide catalyst at a temperature of greater than about 60 degrees Celsius. In an embodiment, the invention includes a system for processing biomass into fuel including a pyrolysis chamber defining an interior volume; a first heating element configured to heat the pyrolysis chamber; a refining chamber in selective fluid communication with the pyrolysis chamber, the refining chamber defining an interior volume, a metal oxide catalyst disposed within the interior volume; and a second heating element configured to heat the refining chamber. Other embodiments are also described herein.

Claims

1. A method of producing a diesel-equivalent fuel, comprising:

pyrolyzing lignocellulosic biomass to form a pyrolysis oil;

removing char from the pyrolysis oil;

obtaining an alcohol from an alcohol feedstock tank and mixing the alcohol with the pyrolysis oil to form a pyrolysis oil and alcohol mixture; and

esterifying the pyrolysis oil by contacting the pyrolysis oil and alcohol mixture with a metal oxide catalyst at a temperature of greater than about 60 degrees Celsius to form the diesel-equivalent fuel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing water from the pyrolysis oil prior to the step of contacting the pyrolysis oil and alcohol mixture with the metal oxide catalyst.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing free fatty acids from diesel-equivalent fuel by binding the free fatty acids to a metal oxide substrate.

4. The method of claim 1, the metal oxide catalyst selected from the group consisting of alumina, hafnia, titania, and zirconia, and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, the temperature greater than about 100 degrees Celsius.

6. The method of claim 1, the temperature greater than about 200 degrees Celsius.

7. The method of claim 1, the temperature greater than about 300 degrees Celsius.

8. The method of claim 1, the temperature greater than about 350 degrees Celsius.

9. The method of claim 1, the alcohol comprising a C1-C30 alcohol.

10. The method of claim 1, the alcohol comprising ethanol.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein pyrolyzing biomass to form the pyrolysis oil includes applying microwave radiation to the biomass.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein pyrolyzing biomass to form the pyrolysis oil includes applying microwave radiation to the biomass under vacuum distillation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass comprises corn stover.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein contacting the pyrolysis oil and an alcohol with a metal oxide catalyst results in reducing the acid number from greater than 100 to less than 20.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein contacting the pyrolysis oil and an alcohol with a metal oxide catalyst is conducted at a supercritical temperature and pressure for the alcohol.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein esterifying the pyrolysis oil by contacting the pyrolysis oil and alcohol mixture with a metal oxide catalyst comprising passing the pyrolysis oil and alcohol mixture through a packed particulate catalyst in a reactor column.