Catalytic Upgrading of the Hydrothermal Liquefaction Aqueous Phase Using Zeolites

Suwannapong, Oamfah; Mosley, Alex

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Catalytic Upgrading of the Hydrothermal Liquefaction Aqueous Phase Using Zeolites

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Biofuels are a growing sector of renewable energy that can contribute to sustainable progress. However, one biofuel-making process, Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL), creates a toxic and costly aqueous phase byproduct (HTL-AP). The HTL-AP has high levels of organic content and nitrogenous compounds, which requires expensive wastewater treatment. This project explores an opportunity to treat and extract value from the HTL-AP through a post-HTL process called HTL-AP Upgrading (HTL-APU). This process uses ZSM-5 in a continuous, packed-bed reactor. ZSM-5 has proven effective at cracking reactions and aromatic formation, making it a feasible option for HTL-APU. Performance of ZSM-5 on organic removal and aromatic production was studied at supercritical water conditions, with temperatures ranging from 380 to 440 oC, and pressure at 3500 PSI. Overall, yield was shown to increase with higher temperatures, with a local maximum achieved at 420 oC with 88% total organic content removal. However, ZSM-5 showed increased degradation at higher temperatures, resulting in a decreased yield above 420 oC. The high production of aromatics throughout the experiment indicates potential for bio-crude production, and the removal of nitrogen compounds from the HTL-AP indicates denitrogenation chemistry. Future research opportunities lie in studying stabilized versions of ZSM-5, and in defining the turning point where catalyst degradation overtakes increased chemical activity at higher temperatures.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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