Catalytic Upgrading of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil for Renewable Hydrocarbon Production

Hydrocarbons from the catalytic upgrading of biomass are a viable source of renewable liquid transportation fuel. Their production has been an important field of research for improving the environment, energy security, and energy productivity. Catalytic hydroprocessing of pyrolysis oil is one of the most promising thermochemical conversion routes for biomass. However, due to thermal instability, the treatment of pyrolysis oil requires a multi-step catalytic upgrading to allow long-term operation. Additionally, the presence of significantly larger amounts of water in pyrolysis oil compared to typical crude oil presents a challenging environment to typical commercial petroleum hydrotreating catalysts. Here, we report an overview of the research progress done at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the fast pyrolysis-catalytic upgrading route in terms of catalyst and process development. Consideration for the techno-economic analysis of the technology and its impact will also be discussed.