Ternary System of Pyrolytic Lignin, Mixed-Solvent and Water: Phase Diagram and Implications
Bio-oil from biomass fast pyrolysis is considered as an important feedstock for the production of renewable fuels and green chemicals. Fast pyrolysis bio-oil generally contains water-soluble fraction, water-insoluble fraction (i.e., pyrolytic lignin, PL) and water in a single phase. However, phase s...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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American Chemical Society
2018
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/60900 |
| _version_ | 1848760644295196672 |
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| author | Li, M. Zhang, M. Yu, Yun Wu, Hongwei |
| author_facet | Li, M. Zhang, M. Yu, Yun Wu, Hongwei |
| author_sort | Li, M. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Bio-oil from biomass fast pyrolysis is considered as an important feedstock for the production of renewable fuels and green chemicals. Fast pyrolysis bio-oil generally contains water-soluble fraction, water-insoluble fraction (i.e., pyrolytic lignin, PL) and water in a single phase. However, phase separation can take place during bio-oil transport, storage and processing. In this study, a mixed solvent (MS) is developed based on the compositions of various fast pyrolysis bio-oils produced from a wide range of feedstocks and reactor systems. Experiments are then carried out to investigate the phase behaviour of the PL/MS/water ternary system. Several ternary phase diagrams are constructed for PL and its fractions, and the PL solubilities in various MS/water mixtures are also estimated. The PL solubility in the MS is high, i.e., ~112 g per 100 g of MS. In the PL/MS/water system, an increase in water content to ~17 wt % in the MS/water mixture leads to a slight increase in the PL solubility to a maximal value of ~118 g per 100 g of MS/water mixture, followed by a gradual decrease in the PL solubility when the water content further increases. It is found that the phase stability of the PL/MS/water system is strongly determined by the composition of the system. For example, the PL/MS/water system is always stable when the MS content is > 50 wt %, while the system is always phase separated when the PL content is > 54 wt %. A comparison of the results for various PL fractions indicates that the molecular weight of PL can affect the ternary phase diagram, with the PL of a lower molecular weight having a higher solubility in the same MS/water mixture. The presence of free sugar (i.e., levoglucosan, present in bio-oil as solute) also influences the ternary phase diagram of the PL/MS/system, but only at a low water content (i.e., < 20 wt %). The results suggest that such ternary diagrams may be potentially an important tool for predicting phase separation of bio-oil as results of changes in bio-oil chemistry in various processes (e.g., cold-water precipitation and ageing). |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:19:03Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-60900 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:19:03Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | American Chemical Society |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-609002018-07-11T01:09:43Z Ternary System of Pyrolytic Lignin, Mixed-Solvent and Water: Phase Diagram and Implications Li, M. Zhang, M. Yu, Yun Wu, Hongwei Bio-oil from biomass fast pyrolysis is considered as an important feedstock for the production of renewable fuels and green chemicals. Fast pyrolysis bio-oil generally contains water-soluble fraction, water-insoluble fraction (i.e., pyrolytic lignin, PL) and water in a single phase. However, phase separation can take place during bio-oil transport, storage and processing. In this study, a mixed solvent (MS) is developed based on the compositions of various fast pyrolysis bio-oils produced from a wide range of feedstocks and reactor systems. Experiments are then carried out to investigate the phase behaviour of the PL/MS/water ternary system. Several ternary phase diagrams are constructed for PL and its fractions, and the PL solubilities in various MS/water mixtures are also estimated. The PL solubility in the MS is high, i.e., ~112 g per 100 g of MS. In the PL/MS/water system, an increase in water content to ~17 wt % in the MS/water mixture leads to a slight increase in the PL solubility to a maximal value of ~118 g per 100 g of MS/water mixture, followed by a gradual decrease in the PL solubility when the water content further increases. It is found that the phase stability of the PL/MS/water system is strongly determined by the composition of the system. For example, the PL/MS/water system is always stable when the MS content is > 50 wt %, while the system is always phase separated when the PL content is > 54 wt %. A comparison of the results for various PL fractions indicates that the molecular weight of PL can affect the ternary phase diagram, with the PL of a lower molecular weight having a higher solubility in the same MS/water mixture. The presence of free sugar (i.e., levoglucosan, present in bio-oil as solute) also influences the ternary phase diagram of the PL/MS/system, but only at a low water content (i.e., < 20 wt %). The results suggest that such ternary diagrams may be potentially an important tool for predicting phase separation of bio-oil as results of changes in bio-oil chemistry in various processes (e.g., cold-water precipitation and ageing). 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/60900 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b02943 American Chemical Society fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Li, M. Zhang, M. Yu, Yun Wu, Hongwei Ternary System of Pyrolytic Lignin, Mixed-Solvent and Water: Phase Diagram and Implications |
| title | Ternary System of Pyrolytic Lignin, Mixed-Solvent and Water: Phase Diagram and Implications |
| title_full | Ternary System of Pyrolytic Lignin, Mixed-Solvent and Water: Phase Diagram and Implications |
| title_fullStr | Ternary System of Pyrolytic Lignin, Mixed-Solvent and Water: Phase Diagram and Implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ternary System of Pyrolytic Lignin, Mixed-Solvent and Water: Phase Diagram and Implications |
| title_short | Ternary System of Pyrolytic Lignin, Mixed-Solvent and Water: Phase Diagram and Implications |
| title_sort | ternary system of pyrolytic lignin, mixed-solvent and water: phase diagram and implications |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/60900 |