Improvement of pyrolytic oil quality by physical and chemical technologies for replacing fossil fuel in heating system

The depletion of fossil fuels and the negative impacts of their extraction and combustion on the environment have encouraged scientists and industrial stakeholders to explore the development of alternative, and renewable energy resources such as bio-oil, which can be produced from biomass by pyrolysis and bio-oil upgrading. The main disadvantages of crude bio-oils derived from fast pyrolysis are their poor quality caused by the presence of water and oxygen compounds, high viscosity, instability during storage, low heating value, and high acidity to be used as a fuel in heating systems. In this research project, we propose an innovative integrated upgrading process (optimized sequential physical and chemical upgrading system) to produce high quality bio-fuel applicable in modified burner. INRS and IRDA will combine their respective expertise in energy and environmental processes to offer industrialists a technological approach based on the green energy. The aim of this project is to study on bio-oil upgrading in a laboratory scale in terms of the various influencing factors on condensing system and catalytic process, such as temperature and catalyst type in order to establish a strategy for scaling up the biofuel production process using domestic (Canadian) biomass like switchgrass.

Faculty Supervisor:

Patrick Drogui

Student:

Ali Khosravanipour Mostafazadeh

Partner:

Institut de recherche et de développement en agroenvironnement

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Université du Québec : Institut national de la recherche scientifique