SANS Analysis of the Microstructural Evolution during the Aging of Pyrolysis Oils from Biomass

Emiliano Fratini, Massimo Bonini, Anja Oasmaa, Yrjö Solantausta, Jose Teixeira, Piero Baglioni

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    88 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this paper, we report for the first time a microstructural characterization of pyrolysis oils obtained from biomass. Bio crude oils (BCOs) are good candidates as substitutes for mineral oils as fuels. By using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), we show that BCOs are nanostructured fluids constituted by a complex continuous phase and nanoparticles mainly formed by the association of units of pyrolytic lignins. The aggregation of these units during the time produces branched structures with fractal dimension Df between 1.4 and 1.5, which are responsible for BCO aging. SANS results fully support the recently formulated thermal ejection theory, accounting for the mechanism of formation of the lignin fraction in oils obtained from fast pyrolysis of biomass.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)306 - 312
    JournalLangmuir
    Volume22
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2006
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

    Keywords

    • biofuels
    • liquid biofuels
    • biomass
    • aging
    • lignin
    • pyrolysis
    • fast pyrolysis
    • forest residues
    • wood residues
    • greenhouse gas emissions
    • greenhouse gases
    • climate change
    • SANS

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