Fast pyrolysis of Scenedesmus algae

Liz Ware, Tonya Morgan, Michael Wilson, Susanta Mohapatra, Mark Crocker, Jun Zhang, Kunlei Liu

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Herein we report the fast pyrolysis of Scenedesmus algae. Pyrolysis was performed at 480°C and 1 bar in a fluidized bed reactor with 2 s residence time. Bio-oil products were characterized on the basis of GC-MS, simulated-distillation GC, elemental analysis, calorific content and total acid number (TAN). The ratio of oil:char obtained was 3.76 by weight, the average calorific content and TAN of the oil being 7900 Btu/lb and 68 mg KOH/g, respectively. Simulated distillation results indicated that a significant proportion of the oil corresponded to the boiling range typical for heavy gas oil (343°C-524°C). Elemental analysis showed the oil contained an average of 39 wt.% oxygen and 6 wt.% nitrogen, the relatively high nitrogen content being a consequence of the high protein content of the algae. According to GC-MS data, the oil consisted of hydrocarbons as well as oxygenates and nitrogenous species, including indoles, fatty acids and amides.

Original languageEnglish
JournalACS National Meeting Book of Abstracts
StatePublished - 2011
Event242nd ACS National Meeting and Exposition - Denver, CO, United States
Duration: Aug 28 2011Sep 1 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Chemical Engineering

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