Hydropyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass Using a High-Pressure Micro- Reactor – GC/MS System

Hydropyrolysis, which is fast pyrolysis in pressurized hydrogen, has been explored as a

potential technology to produce hydrocarbon products from coal, kerogen, and biomass. We are

investigating hydropyrolysis in a high pressure tandem micro-reactor system recently introduced

by Frontier Labs. Their Py-GC/MS system, which closely couples an analytical pyrolyzer

to a GC/MS, is widely used to investigate pyrolysis-based processes because of its rapid on-
line characterization of the pyrolysis products. In the past it has been limited to atmospheric

operation. The new system allows us to investigate hydropyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass

at elevated pressures. Hydropyrolysis of hybrid poplar and its individual components, cellulose

and lignin, were investigated. The results show that high-pressure hydrogen changed the

chemical reaction network for pyrolysis. Linear or cyclic alkanes were the main products from

the hydropyrolysis of cellulose, compared to anhydrosugars for conventional fast pyrolysis of

cellulose. Aromatic hydrocarbons were the main products from the hydropyrolysis of lignin.

In this study the effects of reaction temperature, hydrogen pressure, and residence time on the

pyrolyzates formed were also investigated.