The production of fast pyrolysis bio-oil (FPBO) from secondary biomass is a promising technique for the production of liquid biofuels. However, the resulting FPBO is often viscous and chemically unstable, requiring significant upgrading while also being difficult to work with. To overcome this issue, FPBO can be hydrotreated using slurry hydrotreatment, which has a long history as a processing technique for upgrading viscous and difficult-to-work-with vacuum residues, and as such presents a solution. In this processing technique, the hydrotreatment catalyst is usually generated as dispersed MoS2 nanoparticles to improve feedstock-catalyst contact, as well as avert the diffusion problems that arise when utilizing a traditional, porous packed bed with a viscous feedstock. However, for such nanoparticulate dispersed catalysts, the nanoparticle structure and morphology play an important role in dictating activity and product distribution. Although much work has been done on characterizing dispersed MoS2 catalysts in the context of vacuum residues, such data is still scarce in the context of upgrading bio-oils. In this publication, we present a detailed characterization of in situ-generated MoS2 nanoparticles for the catalytic hydrotreatment of FPBO in a technology readiness level 5 (TRL5) slurry hydroprocessing plant. The results indicate a significant effect of the bio-based feedstock on the nanoparticle morphology, providing a starting point for further investigations into optimization of catalytic activity in the context of slurry hydrotrotreatment of bio-based feedstocks

In this article, the effects of calcination temperature and calcination atmosphere on the properties of the lime produced during flash calcination of industrial lime mud samples in a pilot-sized drop tube furnace have been studied. Flash calcination was performed at a wide range of temperatures between 800 and 1300 °C and different gas mixtures containing N<inf>2</inf>, CO<inf>2</inf>, and H<inf>2</inf>O in the calcination atmosphere. The effect of the calcination condition on the key conditions of the produced CaO, such as chemical composition, surface area, porosity, and particle morphology, has been shown. The addition of CO<inf>2</inf> to the inert atmosphere led to slower calcination rates and a higher onset temperature for the calcination, but no changes to morphology. Furthermore, the addition of H<inf>2</inf>O to the calcination atmosphere generally led to lower calcination rates at higher temperatures and smoother particles in comparison to CO<inf>2</inf> and N<inf>2</inf>

Pyrolysis oil (PO) derived from biomass has the potential to serve as a renewable feedstock for future carbon black (CB) production. However, its composition is significantly different from the fossil feedstocks currently used for CB manufacturing, as it contains higher concentrations of oxygen and water that might influence the yield and nanostructure of CB. In this article, we examine how the water content in PO affects the production of CB at high-temperature pyrolysis (1400-1600 °C) in an electrically heated entrained flow reactor. The main objective was to investigate the influence of water content on the yield and quality of the CB produced from upgraded PO with varying inherent water contents (0-20 wt %). The experiments in this work were performed with model compounds to simulate an upgraded PO. The produced CB was characterized by using several analytical techniques, including elemental composition, powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen physisorption. The results show a clear correlation between the water content in the PO feedstock and the output of CB, showing a reduced yield of CB as the water content increases. These results highlight the crucial role of feedstock composition in making PO a viable renewable feedstock for CB production.