Energy & Fuels, Vol.29, No.3, 1801-1811, 2015
Catalytic Conversion of Biofuel Components: Product Analysis by Multidetector Gas Chromatography
Catalytic upgrading of bio-oils formed in the pyrolysis of biomass represents a promising approach to the production of renewable fuels and platform chemicals. Development of fundamental information needed for commercialization of bio-oil upgrading requires analytical methods for characterization of complex mixtures. We report data characterizing the conversion of a prototypical bio-oil product, 2-butanone, catalyzed by the zeolite HZSM-5 at 300 degrees C and a quantitative analysis of the products by a multiple-detector gas chromatographic technique complemented by gas chromatographymass spectrometry. 2-Butanone was chosen as the reactant because it is converted into a wide range of compounds representing functional groups characteristic of products of bio-oil conversion; 140 products were identified. Among those in the liquid phase for which standards were available, linear (correlation coefficient R > 0.998) calibrations were obtained over concentration ranges typically found in bio-oil products. Results were reproducible with a relative standard deviation (% RSD; n = 3) less than 5% for repeated injections for all products, except n-hexane. Many of the products were recovered in both the gas and liquid phases, and overall recoveries are reported that are dependent upon boiling point and conversion to other products. The reported procedures include an accurate method for measurement of water, a product of almost all bio-oil conversion processes.