Liquefaction of Swedish peats

Abstract

Peat is a promising raw material for synthetic liquid fuel production. Raw peat with moisture content 85-95 wt% can be liquefied without preliminary drying. It may be treated with CO at an initial pressure of 5.5-8.3 MPa and at a temperature of 300-350 °C in the presence of K2CO3. Dewatering and liquefaction take place simultaneously. The peat conversion and the bitumen yield depend strongly on the chosen input material and the operating conditions. The inorganic mineral matter in the peat may also affect the process. Well-humified peat is a suitable raw material for the process with regard to bitumen yield. Some medium-humified peats can also be converted into bitumen in high yield. The process requires no, or low, consumption of CO. The presence of a catalyst is not always needed. © 1981.