Study of the Pyrolysis of Straw Biomass for Bio-oil Production and its Catalytic Upgrading

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atmire.migration.oldid4291
dc.contributor.advisorMahinpey, Nader
dc.contributor.authorAqsha, Aqsha
dc.contributor.committeememberXu, Charles
dc.contributor.committeememberBergerson, Joule
dc.contributor.committeememberHusein, Maen
dc.contributor.committeememberClarke, Matthew
dc.contributor.committeememberWood, David
dc.date.accessioned2016-05-02T15:14:00Z
dc.date.available2016-05-02T15:14:00Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.date.submitted2016en
dc.description.abstractThis thesis presents a comprehensive study of the pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass (sawdust, wheat, oat, flax and barley straws). In the first part of the study, the pyrolysis of sawdust was observed using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), in order to understand the devolatilization process and to obtain its global kinetic parameters. The influences of particle size, initial weight of the sample and heating rate on the devolatilization of sawdust particles were assessed. It was observed that the pyrolysis of sawdust differed significantly with variations in heating rate. As the heating rate increased, the char yield also increased. The kinetic parameters, including activation energy (E), frequency factor (k0) and order of reaction (n), for the two stages considered in the model were: EA2 = 79.53 (kJ/mol), EA3 = 60.71 (kJ/mol); k02 = 1.90 × 106 (1/min), k03 = 1.01 × 103 (1/min); n2 = 0.91, n3 = 1.78, respectively. In the second part of the study, the pyrolysis of several Canadian straw biomasses was studied using a TGA and a bench-scale horizontal fixed-bed reactor. The effects of various catalysts on product yields are discussed. When using zeolite catalysts, the bio-oil and bio-char yields of the straw pyrolysis increased to 46.44% and 38.77%, respectively, while the gas yield was decreased to 13.65%. The use of the catalyst zeolite ZY-SS had the most significant effect on overall bio-oil and bio-char yields, increasing the bio-oil yield by about 2% and the bio-char yield by 8%. A screening of different catalysts unveiled that Ni-Mo/TiO2 was the most active catalyst. The structure was investigated using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area showed that the Ni-Mo/TiO2 catalyst presented a higher surface area and more optimal mesopores than Ni-V/TiO2. Based on the results, it appears that the significant hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) activity for both the catalysts attributed to a high dispersion of metals and acidic sites, which was affected by the interaction between the nickel and the titania support. The activation energy (E) values for guaiacol reactions over Ni-Mo/TiO2 and Ni-V/TiO2 were 93.6 and 98.4 kj/mol, respectively; and, the E values for anisole reactions over Ni-Mo/TiO2 and Ni-V/TiO2 were 80.9 and 53.9 kj/mol, respectively.en_US
dc.identifier.citationAqsha, A. (2016). Study of the Pyrolysis of Straw Biomass for Bio-oil Production and its Catalytic Upgrading (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27922en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/27922
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/2920
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectEngineering--Chemical
dc.subject.classificationBio-charen_US
dc.subject.classificationBio-oilen_US
dc.subject.classificationBiomassen_US
dc.subject.classificationCatalysten_US
dc.subject.classificationKineticsen_US
dc.subject.classificationHydrodeoxygenationen_US
dc.subject.classificationPyrolysisen_US
dc.subject.classificationTGAen_US
dc.titleStudy of the Pyrolysis of Straw Biomass for Bio-oil Production and its Catalytic Upgrading
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineChemical and Petroleum Engineering
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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