Effects of high-pressure homogenization on physicochemical properties and storage stability of switchgrass bio-oil

Ronghai He, X. Philip Ye, Federico Harte, Burton English

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

A high-pressure homogenization (HPH) technique was used to improve the physicochemical properties and storage stability of switchgrass bio-oil. The viscosity, ethanol-insoluble fraction, and mass average molecular weight (Mw) of the bio-oil decreased significantly, and particle size became smaller after HPH processing; however, no significant changes were detected in heating value, water content, density, pH value, or ash content. The bio-oil's chemical composition changed after HPH: amounts of some compounds (furfural, levoglucosan, diethoxymethyl acetate, and lignin-derived compounds) increased, while others (acetic acid and 1,2-ethanediol) decreased. The homogenization processing remarkably improved switchgrass bio-oil stability: the viscosity of bio-oil homogenized at 100 MPa increased by only 13.9% after storage at 40 °C for 60 days, whereas that of unhomogenized oil increased 56% after the same storage period. The operating cost was very modest at only $0.0102/L for bio-oil HPH processing at 100 MPa.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)415-421
Number of pages7
JournalFuel processing technology
Volume90
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2009

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemical Engineering
  • Fuel Technology
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology

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