The TDO process starts with the conversion of cellulose to organic acids. The acids are combined with calcium hydroxide to form a calcium salt. That salt is heated to 450 degrees Celsius (900 degrees Fahrenheit) in a reactor, which constantly stirs the salt. This produces a reaction resulting in a dark amber-colored oil.
The process by which the oil is created, known as thermal deoxygenation or TDO, is relatively simple, Wheeler says, and will work on the cellulose found in wood or other substances that contain cellulose or carbohydrates.
The reaction removes nearly all of the oxygen from the oil, which is a key step that distinguishes TDO from other biofuel processes. Oxygen is removed from as both carbon dioxide and water, and without
the need for any outside source of hydrogen to remove the oxygen. Therefore, most of the energy in the original cellulose source is contained in the new oil.
“Biomass has a lot of oxygen in it. All of that oxygen is dead weight and doesn’t provide any energy when you go to use that as a fuel,” Professor Wheeler says. “If you’re going to make a hydrocarbon fuel, one of the things you have to do is remove oxygen from biomass. You can do it by using hydrogen, which is expensive and also decreases the energy efficiency of your process. So if there’s a way to remove the oxygen from the biomass chemically, then you’ve densified it significantly. Our oil has less than 1 per cent oxygenates. No one else has done anything like this.”
Source
http://www.thebioenergysite.com/news/9844/researchers-discover-new-process-for-biofuel
The process by which the oil is created, known as thermal deoxygenation or TDO, is relatively simple, Wheeler says, and will work on the cellulose found in wood or other substances that contain cellulose or carbohydrates.
The reaction removes nearly all of the oxygen from the oil, which is a key step that distinguishes TDO from other biofuel processes. Oxygen is removed from as both carbon dioxide and water, and without
the need for any outside source of hydrogen to remove the oxygen. Therefore, most of the energy in the original cellulose source is contained in the new oil.
“Biomass has a lot of oxygen in it. All of that oxygen is dead weight and doesn’t provide any energy when you go to use that as a fuel,” Professor Wheeler says. “If you’re going to make a hydrocarbon fuel, one of the things you have to do is remove oxygen from biomass. You can do it by using hydrogen, which is expensive and also decreases the energy efficiency of your process. So if there’s a way to remove the oxygen from the biomass chemically, then you’ve densified it significantly. Our oil has less than 1 per cent oxygenates. No one else has done anything like this.”
Source
http://www.thebioenergysite.com/news/9844/researchers-discover-new-process-for-biofuel
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