International Conference on Thermochemical Conversion Science: Biomass & Municipal Solid Waste to RNG, Biofuels & Chemicals
Denver Colorado, in April 19–21, 2022
tcbiomass focuses on the science of thermochemical conversion of biomass and municipal solid waste (MSW) to renewable gas (RNG), liquid fuels, and chemicals. This international event draws attendees from around the world, with past conferences including representatives from Brazil, China, Finland, Germany, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, and over 20 other countries. This unique conference highlights the science of thermochemical conversion and real commercial opportunities for deployment of this technology. For 2022, the program has been expanded to include MSW as a feedstock, and to feature RNG as a product of thermochemical conversion in addition to liquid fuels and chemicals. Keynote speakers from the U.S. Department of Energy, national laboratories, the European Union, and the energy industry have headlined past tcbiomass conferences, as well as a number of speakers selected by peer review following a call for papers. Conference tracks in 2022 include gasification, pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, and upgrading of biomass and MSW feeds.
CERTH will participate in the next tcbiomass in April 2022, and will explain how pyrolysis of an ELT feed was carried out to obtain an aromatics-rich pyrolysis oil, as well as carbonized tyre that can be used as carbon black substitute for the production of new tyres.
If you want to know more, please find below the abstract of its participation:
S.D. Stefanidis, E. Pachatouridou, E. Heracleous, A.A. Lappas
Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CPERI), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece
A large number of tyres from road vehicles are retired annually entering the pool of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) that presents a large untapped potential for material recovery. While ELTs can be repurposed for various applications, today’s treatment processes are not circular and do not result in many raw materials that can be reused in new tyres. The BlackCycle project aims to develop technology for the recycling of ELTs into raw materials suitable for the production of new tyres, effectively reducing the use of non-renewable sources and drastically mitigating CO2 emissions.
In this work, pyrolysis of an ELT feed was carried out to obtain an aromatics-rich pyrolysis oil, as well as carbonized tyre that can be used as carbon black substitute for the production of new tyres. Particular focus was placed on the coupling of pyrolysis with catalytic vapor upgrading in order to increase the aromatic content of the pyrolysis oil product. The heavier fraction of the aromatic pyrolysis oil can be used for the production of carbon black for new tyres, while the lighter fraction can be used as a source of valuable aromatic hydrocarbons. The work included catalyst prescreening in a bench-scale fixed bed reactor, as well as catalyst evaluation and process optimization in larger cascade bubbling bed reactors and a circulating fluidized bed reactor. Catalytic upgrading of the pyrolysis vapors significantly increased the aromatic content of the pyrolysis oil, increasing its suitability for the production of carbon black and for the recovery of valuable aromatics.