Project of an Installation for Radiation-ThermalProcessing of Natural Organic Materials

Eugenia M. Kholodkova∗, Yuri S. Pavlov∗, Alexander V. Ponomarev∗,Valery P. Ovchinnikov†, Michael P. Svinin†, Nikolay G. Tolstun †

∗The A.N. Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, RAS,E-mail: ponomarev@ipc.rssi.ru

†Efremov Research Institute of Electrophysical Apparatus (JSC “NIIEFA”),Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 196641, Metallostroy, Doroga na Metallostroy, 3

Abstract—The present paper considers a project of an instal-lation intended for processing of natural organic materials intoliquid products, which can be used as an engine fuel or rawmaterials for industrial organic synthesis.

Over the last years much more interest has been demon-strated in the production of liquid products from vegetable rawmaterials, first from woodworking and agricultural wastes. Thepresent paper considers a project of an installation intended forprocessing of natural organic materials into liquid products,which can be used as an engine fuel or raw material for in-dustrial organic synthesis. The main units of the installation area 150-200 kW electron accelerator, thermal-radiation reactorand devices for separation and storage of produced materials.

The radiation-thermal method differs from the pyrolysis(dry distillation-DD) in using radiation when processing rawmaterials. Three different versions can be considered, namely,1- distillation of previously irradiated biomass (PIB), 2-straightdistillation of a raw material by heating from a source ofradiation (EBH) and 3-straight distillation under combinedordinary and radiation heating (COBH).

Studies of the pulp as the main component of the biomasshave demonstrated that irradiation allows the pulp direct andsingle-stage transformation preferably into liquid organic prod-ucts (LOP). Compared with the pyrolysis, the COBH and EBHmodes produce less water and charcoal, however the yield ofliquid organic products is almost fivefold increased. Similareffect is observed for lignin.

Such a high efficiency of the process can be attributed toa special mechanism realized under combined action of heatand ionizing radiation. In contrast to the pyrolysis, irradia-tion mainly generates excited and super-excited molecules, inwhich skeleton bonds can be easily broken.

At a dose rate of 1-3 kGy/s (the EBH mode), a probabilityof an unfavorable “pyrogenetic” decomposition mechanismis minimized due to initiation of an effective endothermicprocess caused by evaporation of liquid organic products. Asa result, a relatively “steady” mode of the radiation-thermaldecomposition is maintained in a temperature range of 200-260 °C.

The dose rate and the absorbed dose necessary to imple-ment the electron-beam distillation can be reduced many timesby applying an additional heating up to 200-250 °C (the COBHmode). In this case, the conversion productivity per a usefulbeam power of 1 kW amounts to 10 kg/h.

A 100-200 kW HV electron accelerator with an energyof electrons of 1,0-1,2 MeV based on a 3-phase transformer-rectifier with a high wall-plug efficiency can be used as asource of radiation for such an installation.

High productivity of the method can be a key factorto developing non-waste technologies of biomass conversioninto an alternative fuel and other products in great demand.Commercial application seems highly promising taking intoaccount that the electron-beam distillation is distinguished withsome valuable features, in particular, chain mechanism, highyield of organic condensate, selectivity, sufficiently low powerconsumption and possibility of the single-stage conversion oflignocellulose raw material without wastes, which is highlyimportant. The electron-beam conversion of biomass into anorganic liquid can be interesting as an initial stage for asubsequent commercial production of various products, suchas effective polymerization inhibitors, monomers and reagentsfor polymer production, alternative liquid fuels, special typesof charcoal and some others.

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