(Invited) Electrochemical Upgrading of Bio-Oil

Biomass is a potential renewable source for liquid fuels and most commodity chemicals. Lignocellulosic biomass residue such as agricultural and forestry residue can be converted to liquid fuels via bio-oil production by fast pyrolysis. The high oxygen content of bio-oil poses a challenge for its practical use. The conventional approach to deoxygenate is the hydro-deoxygenation process. Typical bio-oil is biphasic and only the organic phase is processed in subsequent upgrading steps, leaving behind valuable carbon-containing material in the aqueous phase. Deoxygenation of model compounds and aqueous phase of pine wood bio-oil have been tested using an oxygen ion conducting ceramic membrane based electrochemical cells operated in the temperature range of 500 - 600 °C. The product from the electrochemical cell contained a suite of compounds with significantly lower oxygen content.