Additive Effect of Hydrogen Donor on Wood Biomass Liquefaction Using Diesel Oil as a Solvent

Abstract

Recently, biomass from a variety of sources including corn, various trees and sugarcane has been explored as an effective alternative fossil fuel resource. The direct liquefaction of wood biomass has been researched extensively. Herein is proposed a simple process for the direct liquefaction of wood biomass without a diesel oil blending process, instead using diesel oil as a solvent. However, when Japanese cedar was liquefied with a diesel oil solvent, there was more residue compared to using a polar solvent. Thus, the mechanism of formation of the residue was investigated in an effort to increase the amount of liquefied oil. It was discovered that the residue was generated via condensation of thermal degradation fragments derived from the Japanese cedar. For this reason, the effect of tetralin or plastic added as a hydrogen donor was examined. These experiments suggest that residue generation is suppressed by the action of these added hydrogen donors. Furthermore, the amount of liquefied oil obtained increased. This research suggests a new approach to the efficient generation of liquefied oil from biomass in the presence of a readily-available hydrogen donor using diesel oil as a solvent.