Issue 1, 2008

Thermochemical biofuel production in hydrothermal media: A review of sub- and supercritical water technologies

Abstract

Hydrothermal technologies are broadly defined as chemical and physical transformations in high-temperature (200–600 °C), high-pressure (5–40 MPa) liquid or supercritical water. This thermochemical means of reforming biomass may have energetic advantages, since, when water is heated at high pressures a phase change to steam is avoided which avoids large enthalpic energy penalties. Biological chemicals undergo a range of reactions, including dehydration and decarboxylation reactions, which are influenced by the temperature, pressure, concentration, and presence of homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysts. Several biomass hydrothermal conversion processes are in development or demonstration. Liquefaction processes are generally lower temperature (200–400 °C) reactions which produce liquid products, often called “bio-oil” or “bio-crude”. Gasification processes generally take place at higher temperatures (400–700 °C) and can produce methane or hydrogen gases in high yields.

Graphical abstract: Thermochemical biofuel production in hydrothermal media: A review of sub- and supercritical water technologies

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
13 Jun 2008
Accepted
24 Jun 2008
First published
09 Jul 2008

Energy Environ. Sci., 2008,1, 32-65

Thermochemical biofuel production in hydrothermal media: A review of sub- and supercritical water technologies

A. A. Peterson, F. Vogel, R. P. Lachance, M. Fröling, M. J. Antal, Jr. and J. W. Tester, Energy Environ. Sci., 2008, 1, 32 DOI: 10.1039/B810100K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements