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A novel technology termed as ‘grinding pyrolysis’ has been developed in response to the limitations hindering the commercialisation of existing fast pyrolysis technologies. Some of the features of this novel technology include capability of feeding biomass having a wide range of particle sizes in the same feedstock, simultaneous pyrolysis and grinding, no requirement for a fluidising gas and simplified requirement for cooling and condensing the pyrolysis products. A pilot plant was developed to study the effects of various operating conditions on the yields of bio-oil and biochar. Experiments have been done using mallee biomass grown in Western Australia. Feed particle sizes of up to a few centimetres have been used successfully. It was proved that the simultaneous grinding and pyrolysis helps liberating volatiles from a pyrolysing biomass particle and is capable of producing higher organic yields than pyrolysis without grinding. The effective size of a pyrolysing particle was significantly decreased by the simultaneous grinding activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study aims to investigate the effects of biomass particle size (0.18–5.6mm) on the yield and composition of bio-oil from the pyrolysis of Australian oil mallee woody biomass in a fluidised-bed reactor at 500°C. The yield of bio-oil decreased as the average biomass particle size was increased from 0.3 to about 1.5mm. Further increases in biomass particle size did not result in any further decreases in the bio-oil yield. These results are mainly due to the impact of particle size in the production of lignin-derived compounds. Possible inter-particle interactions between bio-oil vapour and char particles or homogeneous reactions in vapour phases were not responsible for the decreases in the bio-oil yield. The bio-oil samples were characterised with thermogravimetric analysis, UV-fluorescence spectroscopy, Karl–Fischer titration as well as precipitation in cold water. It was found that the yields of light bio-oil fractions increased and those of heavy bio-oil fractions decreased with increasing biomass particle size. The formation of pyrolytic water at low temperatures (<500°C) is not greatly affected by temperature or particle size. It is believed that decreased heating rates experienced by large particles are a major factor responsible for the lower bio-oil yields from large particles and for the changes in the overall composition of resulting oils. Changes in biomass cell structure during grinding may also influence the yield and composition of bio-oil. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes the production and fuel properties of fast pyrolysis oil/bio-diesel blends. The bio-oils used in this study were produced from the fast pyrolysis of woody biomasses, oil mallee and pine. The bio-diesel employed was derived from canola vegetable oil. The conditions used to prepare the bio-oil/bio-diesel blends, as well as some of the fuel properties of the resulting bio-diesel rich phase, are reported. The experimental results show that the solubility of fast pyrolysis oils in bio-diesel is not as high as was previously reported for decanted oils obtained by Auger pyrolysis. The carboxylic acids, mono-phenols, furans and lignin derived oligomers were the compounds most soluble in bio-diesel, while the sugars, on the other hand, showed poor solubility. Although the presence of phenols enhances the oxidation stability of the bio-diesel rich phases, other fuel properties deteriorate. For example, the content of solid residues increased primarily because of the solubilisation of lignin derived oligomers, which were quantified by UV-fluorescence. Concentrations as high as 3.5mass % of these compounds were observed in the bio-diesel rich phase. The solubility of bio-oil in bio-diesel was enhanced by using ethyl acetate/bio-diesel blends. Some fuel properties of the bio-diesel rich phase, after the removal of ethyl acetate, are reported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Mallee eucalypt crops from the low-rainfall dryland agricultural regions of southern Australia may become a major source of woody biomass for production of liquid biofuels through pyrolysis and biorefinery. Pyrolysis studies have commonly focused on the woody fraction and relatively little is known about the pyrolysis behaviour of leaves that make up a substantial portion of the overall plant biomass. In this study, mallee leaves were pyrolysed in a fluidized-bed reactor at temperatures ranging from 300 to 580°C. The collected bio-oil products were characterised with various analytical techniques, including Karl Fischer titration, thermogravimetry, GC/MS, UV-fluorescence and FTIR spectroscopies. Our results show that, during pyrolysis, leaves behave very differently from the wood of the same mallee trees. Leaves tend to give a higher yield of char and a lower yield organics in bio-oil than the wood. The bio-oils produced from leaves and wood show distinctly different compositions. Eucalyptol, a chemical compound present in eucalyptus leaves, was found in high concentration in the bio-oils from the leaves. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of inorganic species in biomass, especially the alkali and alkaline earth metallic (AAEM) species (K, Na, Mg and Ca), on the yield and properties of bio-oil from the pyrolysis of biomass. A mallee wood sample from Western Australia was washed with water and a dilute acid solution to remove its AAEM species. The water-washed and acid-washed mallee wood samples were then pyrolysed in a fluidised-bed reactor at 500°C under fast heating rate conditions. The removal of AAEM species did not result in significant changes in the yields of bio-oil and bio-char. However, the bio-oil properties, e.g. viscosity, were drastically affected by the removal of AAEM species. Our results indicate that the water-soluble AAEM species were not as important as the water-insoluble but acid-soluble AAEM species in influencing the bio-oil composition and properties. It is believed that the acid-soluble AAEM species (especially Ca) were more closely linked with the organic matter in biomass and thus were closely involved in the reactions during pyrolysis. The removal of AAEM species, especially the acid-soluble AAEM species, led to very significant increases in the yields of sugars and lignin-derived oligomers, accompanied by decreases in the yields of water and light organic compounds in the bio-oil. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]