Upscaling of thermo-catalytic reforming process from lab to pilot scale

Biomass has become an important approach to meet the current requirements of energy and oil alternatives. In recent years, extensive research has been carried out on the transformation of biological wastes into biofuels and biorefineries through pyrolysis, which may gradually be replacing the crude-oil resources. One promising pyrolysis route is intermediate pyrolysis, which opens the field to the valorization of a high variety of biological residues into biofuels including gases, liquid chemicals, and carbonizate. In the present work, the Thermo-Catalytic Reforming (TCR) technology based on intermediate pyrolysis with integrated catalytic reforming is discussed, showing high productivity and higher quality biofuels compared to traditional pyrolysis systems. This paper illustrates the data from the upscaling of the TCR system from laboratory scale to pilot scale using sewage sludge as feedstock. The effects of the design differences are studied from the point of view of the qualities of products, mass, and energy balances of the laboratory unit upon the pilot unit.