Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-4004, United States.
Bioresour Technol. 2012 Apr;109:154-62. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2011.12.115. Epub 2012 Jan 5.
Microalgae and duckweed were grown and harvested over a three-month period in CO(2)-sparged helioreactors and open earthen ponds, respectively. The biomass feedstocks were thermolyzed in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and fixed-bed reactor to produce a fuel precursor coined "bioleum". Analysis of the thermolysis kinetics revealed an increase in the activation energy with heating rate for both aquatic species. Activation energies were lower than literature-reported values for lignocellulosics, corroborated by TGA thermolysis of pinewood. Thermolysis of microalgae resulted in higher bioleum and energy yields than for duckweed, reflecting differences in the biomass composition. The algal bioleum properties resemble those of crude petroleum except for higher nitrogen and oxygen content and acid number. Speciation identified 300+ compounds in the oil phase, with similar amounts of hydrocarbons and oxygenates, while acetic acid was the major species in the aqueous phase. The compounds were classified according to their degree of aromaticity, oxygenation, and nitrogenation.
微藻和浮萍分别在 CO(2)喷射光生物反应器和露天土池内生长和收获，历时三个月。生物质原料在热重分析仪（TGA）和固定床反应器中热解，生成一种名为“生物油”的燃料前体。热解动力学分析表明，两种水生生物的活化能随升温速率而增加。与文献报道的木质纤维素相比，活化能较低，这一点得到了松木 TGA 热解的证实。微藻热解生成的生物油和能量产量高于浮萍，这反映了生物质组成的差异。藻类生物油的性质类似于原油，只是氮和氧含量以及酸值较高。形态分析确定油相中含有 300 多种化合物，其中碳氢化合物和含氧化合物的含量相当，而乙酸是水相中的主要物质。这些化合物根据其芳香度、氧化度和氮化度进行分类。
