Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Algae

有许多可再生技术可以生产清洁能源，但围绕可持续和可再生液体燃料和化学品的生产仍然存在问题。为了满足这一需求，藻类的利用最近已成为一种有前途的资源。微藻是第三代生物燃料研究的重点。微藻是非常简单的水生生物，能够产生大量的脂质，这是生产生物柴油的关键前体。水热液化（HTL）是一种有吸引力的转化技术，因为它不需要在加工前对藻类原料进行干燥;消除了许多更传统的转换技术中的大量能量损失（需要干原料）用于第一和第二代生物燃料。目的藻类原料的转化，主要利用微藻物种以高产率和最大化储存在藻类原料中的质量和能量回收来生产生物油（转移到生物原油）与其他研究所合作，对湿藻浆进行连续HTL处理（潜在的废水生长藻类）的HTL实验的基础上进行的现有的高压间歇式反应器（不同工艺参数）生产高品质生物原油（在间歇和连续反应器中）通过应用各种工艺参数（温度，停留时间，共溶剂和反应气氛的应用，在水热处理之前可能提取有价值的大分子，例如油和脂质）来自HTL实验的（副产物）流。这些营养物（特别是含氮化合物）可以循环到厌氧生物反应器中，实现工业化相关的结果。所有实验室实验的实验设计（DoE）方法（考虑到所有关键的工艺参数）应该会影响可以转移到工业规模的研究成果。为了研究藻类生物质水热液化作为一个独立过程或大型生物炼油厂概念的一部分的潜力和可行性。适用于HTL衍生生物原油改质的非均相催化剂的应用（降低氮含量，降低氧含量，增加热值和改变各种物理特性如粘度）方法学藻类原料的表征通过元素和金属分析、热性能和化学性能评估，（热重分析，FTIR分析，脂质提取和色谱（GC-MS）表征）HTL在一个小的（25 ml）高-压力反应器。通过BRISK 2计划与其他研究所合作，可能使用连续液化装置。使用广泛的产品分离和表征适当的分析技术，包括色谱法，核磁共振光谱法，FTIR和元素分析）。HTL实验的水流的全面表征，用于BioFence反应器中使用的营养物质的潜在再循环（使用液相色谱法和元素分析法）详细研究了常用的工业相关催化剂在生产的生物原油的升级中的应用，其次是催化剂的微调和推广。详细的数据挖掘和统计数据处理包括方差分析和主成分分析的使用。使用实验数据和文献数据进行基于全计算机软件的建模工作，以便对藻类高温液化生产生物燃料进行技术经济评估。

IntroductionThere are many renewable technologies that can produce clean energy but there are still issues surrounding the production of sustainable and renewable liquid fuels and chemicals. In order to meet this need the utilisation of algae has recently emerged as a promising resource. Microalgae in particular are the focus of research towards third generation bio-fuels. Microalgae are very simple aquatic organisms that are able to produce large amounts of lipids, a key precursor in the production of bio-diesel. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is an attractive conversion technology as it does not require the algal feedstock to be dried before processing; eliminating the large energy loses in many of the more traditional conversion techniques (requiring a dry feedstock) used for first and second generation bio-fuels.AimsConversion of algae feedstocks, utilising mainly microalgal species to crude bio-oil at high yields and maximisation of mass and energy recovery stored in the algae feedstock (transferred to the crude bio-oil)Potential collaboration with other institutes for continuous HTL processing of wet algal slurries (potentially wastewater grown algae) on the basis of HTL experiments carried out in the existing high-pressure batch reactor (with different processing parameters)Production of high quality biocrude oil (in batch and continuous reactor) by application of various processing parameters (temperature, residence time, application of co-solvents and reactive atmospheres, potential extraction of valuable macromolecules such as oils and lipids prior the hydrothermal processing)Recovery of nutrients in the waste (by-product) stream from HTL experiments. These nutrients (particularly nitrogen compounds) can be recycled to the alga bioreactor.Achieve industrially relevant results. Design of Experiment (DoE) approach (taking into consideration all crucial processing parameters) for all laboratory experiments should impact the research output that can be transferred to industrial scales. In order to investigate the potential and viability for hydrothermal liquefaction of algal biomass as a standalone process or part of a larger bio-refinery concept.Application of heterogeneous catalysts suitable for the upgrading of HTL derived bio-crudes (reducing nitrogen content, reducing oxygen content, increasing heating values and modifying various physical characteristics such as viscosity)MethodologyCharacterisation of algae feedstock (as slurries) for hydrothermal processing by elemental and metal analysis, assessment of thermal and chemical properties (thermogravimetric analysis, FTIR analysis, lipid extraction and chromatographic (GC-MS) characterisation)HTL in a small (25 ml) high-pressure reactor.Potential use of continuous liquefaction rig via collaboration with other institutes through the BRISK2 programme.Product separation and characterisation using wide range of appropriate analytical techniques including chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, FTIR and elemental analysis).Full characterisation of aqueous streams from HTL experiments for potential recycling of nutrients used in the BioFence reactor (using liquid chromatography and, elemental analysis).Detailed study into application of commonly used industrially relevant catalysts in the upgrading of produced bio-crudes, followed by catalyst fine-tuning and promotion.Detailed data mining and statistical data processing including the use of analysis of variance and principal component analysis. Full computer software based modelling exercise using data from experiments and data from the literature in order to perform a techno-economic evaluation of HTL of algae for the production of bio-fuels.