Engineering Commons^™

Transport Limitations In Zeolites And Biomass Pyrolysis, Andrew Robert Teixeira

Doctoral Dissertations

Biomass pyrolysis has been widely explored for its potential to generate a sustainable chemical source capable of producing synthetic fuels and chemicals. Lignocellulosic biomass is the carbon rich, inedible fraction of wood that is comprised of long oxygenated biopolymers, primarily cellulose, hemicellulose and the highly aromatic lignin. High temperature thermal conversion of biomass to bio-oil (pyrolysis oil) occurs on the order of milliseconds and converts long chain biopolymers to a carbon-rich liquid crude. The chemistry of biomass pyrolysis is greatly complicated by significant heat and mass transport challenges. The complex fluid dynamics of the reactive liquid intermediate are examined in …