Recovery of liquid fuel from the aqueous phase of pyrolysis oil using catalytic conversion

Oil from the pyrolysis of biomass typically consists of two different layers defined as the aqueous and organic phases. The objective of this study was to determine the yield of liquid fuel that can be produced from the aqueous phase using a catalytic conversion. The process was supported by two different HZSM-5 catalysts with temperatures set at 405, 455, 505, and 555 °C. The oils obtained were then analyzed using Karl Fischer titration, FTIR spectroscopy, GC/MS, TGA, and CHNS/O analysis. The results showed that the oil yields obtained from catalytic cracking of the aqueous phase ranged from 4 to 9.16 wt % depending on the catalyst type and temperature. The optimum performance of deoxygenation activity was obtained with the HZSM-5/50 catalyst at a temperature of 555 °C. The oil produced under the optimum conditions was dominated by aromatics and phenols and had an HHV of 38.44 MJ/kg. © 2014 American Chemical Society.