A Modular, Skid-Mounted Biomass Pyrolysis Unit

Political, economic, and environmental considerations require that the national dependence on petroleum-based transportation fuels, especially imported oil, be reduced by accelerating the development of domestic renewable alternatives. The United States has the potential to generate, sustainably, about 1.3 billion dry tons of biomass per year, and bio-oil derived from this renewable feedstock could replace part of the currently used fossil fuels. However, a large proportion of the cost of biomass-to-biofuel conversion is associated with transporting the biomass to central processing facilities. Therefore, this project will develop technology for the distributed conversion of diverse biomass to bio-oil, which can then be transported to biorefineries for further upgrading. Phase I will: (1) demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of distributed conversion of biomass to bio-oil; and (2) produce a design of a prototype modular, skid-mounted biomass pyrolysis unit, which will be constructed and demonstrated in Phase II. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The conversion of crop residues and crop processing wastes to fuels would: (1) replace fuels produced from fossil sources, thus mitigating dependence on foreign oil as well as negative environmental impacts; (2) help spur the development of biorefineries, which will produce both fuels and chemicals from renewable materials; and (3) remove crop residues from landfills, where they take up valuable space and decompose to produce CH4 and CO2, both greenhouse gases.