Short description

Test method and test facilities for the liquefaction and/or gasification of biomasses at mild temperature in the presence of near critical or supercritical water.

Two types of testing facilities are available to perform hydrothermal conversion processes of biomass, model compounds or other carbonaceous feedstocks, fed as water solutions/slurries. Tests can be perfomed in chemical reactors using pressurized water as reaction medium at temperature of 280 - 500 °C compatible with the use of solar-heated molten salt mixure (max T = 550 °C) as heat trasfer fluid (HTF). Both the reaction systems were assembled in a way to be easily coupled with a batch recirculation system of molten salts.

Main technical features

1. Batch reactors

30 mL volume batch reactors are available and used to perform hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) tests at temparature up to 400 °C. Procedures for initial purging of the reactor with inert gas, fast quenching after the reaction at high pressure (6-30 MPa), and for product separation were optimized. A gas expansion system is used to collect the produced gas. The batch runs allow fast screening of the influence of operative conditions (such as temperature, overall system density, feedstock concentration, co-reagents, catalysts, etc..) on the products yield and composition. Typically, the target product of biomass HTL process is biocrude oil, from which suitable biofuels can be obtained upon upgrading.

2. Continuous reaction system

A lab-scale continuous high pressure set-up has been developed to perform hydrothermal reaction process at temperatures (up to 500 °C) compatible with the use of solar-heated molten salts as heat transfer fluid. Main components of the experimental layout are:

• 10 mL high pressure tubular reactor;
• water preheating section;
• piston pumps for the feeding of liquids and solutions;
• high pressure syringe pump for the feeding of suspensions;
• parallel mode-arranged product phase separators;
• gas flow-rate measurement system.

Type of partner sought

Tasks to be performed by the partner you are looking for.

Development of suitable catalysts for improvement of hydrothermal process efficiency, i.e. essentially yield and quality of the obtained bio-oil.