Removal of alkali metals for the enhancement of fast pyrolysis process:Master's thesis

Alkali metals have detrimental effects on fast pyrolysis process for bio crude. In this thesis, a new process for the removal of these alkalis was designed. In this way, the yield, quality and profitability of pyrolysis process could be enhanced. The design of the unit included testing the wash process in laboratory and pilot scale, choosing the suitable equipment, drawing the flow chart including the control instruments, writing the operating instructions, calculating the mass balances, defining the technical values for the equipment. The economic potential of the unit was studied by searching the current prices for the equipment, calculating the fixed capital investment and the operating costs based on the balances and power consumption of equipment and comparing these to the grown sale incomes. Sensitivity analysis was performed for the fixed capital investment and the prices of chemicals: nitric acid and sodium hydroxide. In this Thesis, a process including the following phases was designed: The forest residue biomass is crushed into a finer particle size (t