Thermodynamic analysis of biomass transformation in fuels using global optimization techniques

Author(s)

Antonio Carlos Daltro de Freitas

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Química
• Defense date: 2015-04-28

Examining board members

Reginaldo Guirardello; Consuelo Cristina Gomes Silva; Carlos Eduardo Borba; Artur Zaghini Francesconi; Roberta Ceriani

• Advisor: Reginaldo Guirardello

Abstract

There is a growing interest in alternative sources of clean, safe and renewable energy, and in technologies for processing these sources into fuels. Among these processes, the supercritical water gasification (SCWG) reaction, for hydrogen production, and the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis reaction, for liquid fuels production, have occupied a prominent role. In this context, this thesis performed the thermodynamic analysis of reactions involved in the transformation of biomass into fuels, using for it, global optimization techniques. Methodologies are applied to minimize Gibbs energy, in systems with constant pressure and temperature, and maximize the entropy, in systems with constant pressure and enthalpy. The problems are formulated in the form of linear and nonlinear programming, and the proposed methodologies are implemented and solved in the software GAMS. The thermodynamic analysis of the transformation of different sources such as ethanol, glycerol, glucose, cellulose, lignin, sugarcane bagasse and microalgal biomass in hydrogen or syngas, through the SCWG reaction are performed first. Later, the use of syngas produced are thermodynamically evaluated for the production of liquid fuels by the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction. With this work we contribute to a further elucidation of the more favorable reaction conditions for each of the cases examined, also considering strategies to increase the conversion of reactants and the productivity of the desired products, as well as the realization of the energy characterization of the processe (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/20666-8 - THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF BIOMASS IN FUELS USING GLOBAL OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES
• Grantee: Antonio Carlos Daltro de Freitas
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate