Euroepan Bioenergy Research Institute

The current method of utilising biomass derived fast liquid (bio-crude oil or bio-oil) in a diesel engine requires three fuels and a complex start-up and shut down procedure. For more rapid and successful commercialisation of this renewable liquid fuel, a more convenient and cheaper method of utilisation is needed that provides a single fuel that is stable and readily ignites in a compression engine. This paper describes the production of emulsions from biomass fast pyrolysis liquid and diesel fuel for utilisation in diesel engines. The objective is to allow unmodiÿed diesel engines to run on fast pyrolysis liquid derived from biomass without the cost and complexity of a dual fuel system. The immediate application is in stationary engines for power generation, but there are longer term opportunities for use as a transport fuel. This paper describes the production of the emulsions that have been tested in di erent diesel engines (tests in engines is reported in a separate paper). ?

Fast pyrolysis is a promising method to transform solid biomass into a liquid product called ''bio-oil'' with an energy density of four to five times greater than the feedstock. The process involves rapidly heating biomass to 450-6008C in the absence of air and condensing the vapor produced to give bio-oil. Typically, 50-75% (weight) of the feedstock is converted into bio-oil that has a number of uses, for example energy production or bio-refinery feedstock. This study investigated the gaseous emissions and ash deposition characteristics resulting from bio-oil combustion in a pilot scale combustion test rig at Cranfield University. A feeding system with heated lines and heated/stirred reservoir was used to feed a spray nozzle in the combustion chamber.

Lignin Cellulose Hemicellulose Miscanthus Feedstock Fuel matching a b s t r a c t Fifteen Miscanthus genotypes grown in five locations across Europe were analysed to investigate the influence of genetic and environmental factors on cell wall composition. Chemometric techniques combining near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and conventional chemical analyses were used to construct calibration models for determination of acid detergent lignin (ADL), acid detergent fibre (ADF), and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) from sample spectra. Results generated were subsequently converted to lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose content and used to assess the genetic and environmental variation in cell wall composition of Miscanthus and to identify genotypes which display quality traits suitable for exploitation in a range of energy conversion systems. The NIRS calibration models developed were found to predict concentrations with a good degree of accuracy based on the coefficient of determination (R 2 ), standard error of calibration (SEC), and standard error of cross-validation (SECV) values. Across all sites mean lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose values in the winter harvest ranged from 76-115 g kg À1 , 412-529 g kg À1 , and 235-338 g kg À1 respectively. Overall, of the 15 genotypes Miscanthus x giganteus and Miscanthus sacchariflorus contained higher lignin and cellulose concentrations in the winter harvest. The degree of observed genotypic variation in cell wall composition indicates good potential for plant breeding and matching feedstocks to be optimised to different energy conversion processes. ª (I.S. Donnison). A v a i l a b l e a t w w w . s c i e n c e d i r e c t . c o m h t t p : / / w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / b i o m b i o e b i o m a s s a n d b i o e n e r g y 3 4 ( 2 0 1 0 ) 6 5 2 -6 6 0 0961-9534/$ -see front matter ª

Concern with environmental issues such as global climate change has stimulated research into the development of more environmentally friendly technologies and energy sources. One critical area of our economy is liquid fuels. Fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass for liquids production is of particular concern, as it is one of the most interesting ways to produce renewable liquid fuel for transport and heat and power production.