Process improvements and techno-economic feasibility of hydrothermal liquefaction and pyrolysis of biomass for biocrude oil production

Abstract

Biocrude oil production from biomass has gained huge attention globally to complement the conventional fuels and reduce the environmental impact caused by fossil fuels. To produce renewable energy from biomass, several technologies have emerged, such as physical (e.g., drying, pressing, crushing, and pelletization), biochemical (e.g., fermentation and anaerobic digestion), and thermochemical (e.g., pyrolysis, gasification, liquefaction, and combustion) pathways. Among all, thermochemical technologies have gained much attention due to their high-energy content products and process efficiency. The biocrude oil produced from pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction has similar chemical properties to conventional liquid fuels. Therefore, this chapter discusses the current status, challenges, opportunities, recent process developments, and techno-economic feasibility of hydrothermal liquefaction and pyrolysis of biomass for biocrude oil production.