Proposed Specifications for Various Grades of Pyrolysis Oils

A handicap facing both the producer and the user of fast-pyrolysis oils is the lack of a description of these oils that is adequate for commercial applications. These oils are highly oxygenated and are relatively immiscible with petroleum oils. Under the current IEA Biomass Energy Agreement, the new Pyrolysis Activity (PYRA) has taken on the task of establishing a useful description of a series of pyrolysis oils. This series roughly parallels that of petroleum fuel oils already described, so that with as few changes as possible to the users’ equipment, a bio-oil could be used in place of the equivalent petroleum-derived oil. The specifications for biomass pyrolysis oils differ in the density, heating value, water content, and corrosiveness. These proposed specifications are presented for discussion by the biomass conversion community and feedback to the Pyrolysis Activity.