Are Bio-Based Chemicals the New Gold Mines? - The Valorisation of the Phenolic Fraction of Pyrolysis Liquids to Bio-Based Chemicals

van der Voort, Sterre H.E. (2020) Are Bio-Based Chemicals the New Gold Mines? - The Valorisation of the Phenolic Fraction of Pyrolysis Liquids to Bio-Based Chemicals. Bachelor's Thesis, Chemical Engineering.

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Abstract

The chemical industry is still highly dependent on fossil resources. Just like other sectors in our society, the use of non-renewable sources is in need of a change towards sustain- ability. One bio-based alternative for obtaining both bulk and fine chemicals is the pyrolysis of biomass. An assessment of this process and the potential in terms of feasibility is of interest when searching for sustainable alternatives in the chemical industry. In order to evaluate this bio-based alternative, two techno-economic analyses were performed, based on the fast pyrolysis of pine wood. These analyses included a process selection stage, an Aspen PlusTM model and a cost estimation. The pyrolysis of 610 ton pine wood per year resulted into 50 ton per year of p-hydroxybenzaldehyde with a gross profit of about one million USDollar per year. BTX was produced with a 100% selectivity towards toluene, which gave rise to a number of other applications. Both the small and industrial scale were not profitable when toluene was priced at $0.80/kg. 144 million tons of pine wood resulted in 10 kton per year BTX/toluene with a loss of 38 million USDollars per year. The results of the p-hydroxybenzaldehyde pro- duction indicate that the pyrolysis of biomass has potential to deliver intermediate compounds and to eventually obtain high-value end products. This study can show an insight into the technological and economic potential of chemicals from the pyrolysis of biomass.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Heeres, H.J. and Winkelman, J.G.M.
Degree programme:	Chemical Engineering
Thesis type:	Bachelor's Thesis
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	10 Jul 2020 11:14
Last Modified:	10 Jul 2020 11:14
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/22510

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