Proceedings of the Biomass Pyrolysis Oil Properties and Combustion Meeting, NREL-CP-430-7215
The ultimate analysis of biomass liquefaction products the results of the IEA Round Robin
J.W . McKinley, R. P. Overend, D. C. Elliott
Abstract
The first IEA thermochemical round robin was organized as part of an IEA Voluntary Standards Activity. The objective of the study was to determine the variability associated with the measurement of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and water in biomass oils using those techniques normally employed at each laboratory. Two biomass oil samples were distributed to fifteen laboratories in November, 1988. One sample was a low oxygen content condensed oil (PERCoil Albany) and the second was a high oxygen and water content primary oil (WFPP oil University of Waterloo). The precision for carbon was excellent, whereas, both the hydrogen and oxygen (by difference) values were more variable. Oxygen (by direct determination) was poor. The water content was quite variable and it had a strong influence on the carbon and hydrogen estimates (on a dry basis) which in turn had a significant effect on the H/C ratio of the biomass oil. The coefficients of variation for the H/C ratios of the two oils are very markedly different in that the PERC oil has a value of 5 %, which is in the range anticipated, while that of the WFPP oil was 19.5 % . The study is the first examination on this topic and the information derived from it will be used to critically assess laboratory procedures and evaluate the comparison o f inter-laboratory data . It is recommended that future studies of this nature include a wider variety of samples so that trends are easier to establish .
