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Production and characterization of two fractions of pyrolysis liquid from agricultural and wood residues

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Abstract

Liquids obtained by fractional condensation of pyrolysis vapors from two types of lignocellulosic biomass, namely Jerusalem artichoke stalk (high cellulose and ash contents) and white birch bark (high lignin and extractive contents), were compared. Using two condensers connected in series, a dark oily fraction rich in phenolic compounds and sugar derivatives was obtained at 90 °C (respectively, 14% of total polyphenols and 11% of total carbohydrates for the oily fraction from the agricultural stalk) followed by aqueous fraction at 0 °C. Stalk yielded a homogeneous oily fraction whereas the bark oily liquid was heterogeneous, due possibly to lignin pyrolysis products. Both yielded clear orange aqueous fractions having a chemical composition close to wood vinegar, > 60% water, and high concentrations of acetic acid, with also a significant content of polyphenols, around 5%. This study showed that fractional condensation could be a vital tool in pyrolysis-based biorefinery producing an oily (application as an energy source or as a chemical feedstock) and an aqueous fraction (applications as biocide or biostimulation in agriculture) by pyrolysis of vastly different lignocellulosic biomasses.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks go to Cédric Morin for his technical assistance and to Olga Solomatnikova for her pyrolysis expertise.

Funding

This work was supported by funding from MITACS (IT07388).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), 3351 Boulevard des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC, G9A 5H7, Canada

    Étienne Le Roux & Simon Barnabé

  2. Institut de Recherche et de Développement en Agroenvironnement (IRDA), 2700 Rue Einstein, Québec, QC, G1P 3W8, Canada

    Étienne Le Roux, Stéphane Godbout & Joahnn Palacios

  3. Centre de Recherche Industrielle du Québec (CRIQ), 333 Rue Franquet, Québec, QV, G1C 4C7, Canada

    Étienne Le Roux & Ingrid Zamboni

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  1. Étienne Le Roux
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Correspondence to Simon Barnabé.

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Le Roux, É., Barnabé, S., Godbout, S. et al. Production and characterization of two fractions of pyrolysis liquid from agricultural and wood residues. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 12, 3333–3343 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-020-01015-2

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