Chemical reactions in the hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass and in the catalytic hydrogenation upgrading of biocrude

• Published in: Green chemistry : an international journal and green chemistry resource : GC Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 1562 - 1583
• Main Authors: Hao, Botian, Xu, Donghai, Jiang, Guanyu, Sabri, Tanveer Ahmed, Jing, Zefeng, Guo, Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 01.03.2021
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Biomass; Catalysts; Chemical reactions; Energy demand; Green chemistry; Hydrogenation; Liquefaction; Parameters; Renewable energy; Route selection; Upgrading
• ISSN: 1463-9262; 1463-9270
• DOI: 10.1039/d0gc02893b

The imbalance between the energy demand and supply and environmental pollution makes it necessary to develop renewable energy as an alternative energy source. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of biomass is a promising method to produce a crude bio-oil (biocrude), and upgrading biocrude by catalytic hydrogenation can improve its quality. This article systematically describes chemical reactions in biomass HTL and the catalytic hydrogenation upgrading of the obtained biocrude. We comprehensively analyze the effects of operating parameters on chemical reactions in HTL and catalytic hydrogenation upgrading processes, such as reaction temperature, residence time, and catalyst type. We also propose the future development directions of biomass HTL and biocrude upgrading. This information can help in selecting the reaction routes and reaction parameters such that the yield and quality of bio-oil can be improved. This article systematically describes chemical reactions in biomass HTL and the catalytic hydrogenation upgrading of the obtained biocrude and analyze the effects of operating parameters on these two processes, such as reaction temperature, residence time and catalyst type.