Esterification of fast pyrolysis bio-oil using heteropoly acid catalyst with Wells?Dawson structure

NOWAKOWSKI DJ; BARONETTI GT; BRIDGWATER AV; ROMANELLI G; VAZQUEZ P

Simposio; 19th International Symposium on Analytical & Applied Pyrolysis; 2012

Bio-oil produced from fast pyrolysis of biomass is a potential candidate to replace conventional fuels if efficient upgrading methods can be developed.Current upgrading methods include in-situ catalytic pyrolysis, catalytic cracking of fast pyrolysis vapours, hydrocracking and esterification. Heteropoly acids (HPAs) attracted considerable interest as catalysts due to their lower toxicity and higher acidity. HPAs are proposed as an alternative to sulphuric acid, which is conventionally used in acid-catalysed esterification processes. HPA with Wells-Dawson structure has two identical units of [PW 9 O 31 ] related by O atoms. In each unit there is a central atom (P) surrounded by nine WO octahedrals giving a Wells-Dawson anion: [α-P 2 W 18 O 62 ] -6 .