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Biofuels are crucial for decarbonizing the mobility sector and achieving net-zero targets set in various jurisdictions. However, the large-scale supply of biomass to a commercial scale conversion facility remains a significant challenge. This study explores a novel approach to produce biofuels by integrating the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process with pipeline hydro-transportation of biomass. The research examines critical process parameters, optimizes the HTL process, and characterizes the produced biocrude for efficient biofuel production from pipeline-transported biomass. The water-to-feed ratio, temperature, and residence time were found to be critical parameters affecting biocrude yield, with the water-to-feed ratio having significant influence in the integration of the two technologies. The optimal process parameters were: water-to-feed ratio of 15, temperature of 294 °C, initial pressure of 3.2 MPa, residence time of 0 min, and particle size range of 0.559 to 0.381 mm, which produced a biocrude with yield of 31.34 %, a higher heating value of 27.26 MJ/kg, and an energy recovery of 46.18 %. The biocrude contains phenols, ketones, aldehydes, furan derivatives, naphthalenol, and fatty acids, with phenolic compounds constituting ∼46 % of the total. The biocrude exhibits desirable properties like lower oxygen content, lower water content, and a higher heating value within the reported range for HTL biocrude; however, a high total acid number and a notable carbon residue content indicate the need for catalytic upgrading. This study demonstrates the technical viability of integrating pipeline hydro-transportation of biomass with HTL for biofuel production, paving the way for the future implementation of this technology integration on a commercial scale. • Study explores integration of pipeline transport with HTL for biocrude production. • Water-to-feed ratio was vital for biocrude production in the technology integration. • Optimum temperature and water-to feed ratio were 294 °C and 15:1, respectively. • At optimum, biocrude yield was 31.34 % with 27.26 MJ/kg energy content. • The biocrude requires upgrading due to high TAN, 28.8 % residue, and oxygenates.
Mohan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.