Jul 19, 2012 - Emily A. Heaton & Robert C. Brown. Published online: 19 July ... E. A. Heaton (*). Department of ... e-mail: heaton@iastate.edu. D. L. Dalluge .
Bioenerg. Res. (2013) 6:103–113 DOI 10.1007/s12155-012-9240-0
Crop Management Impacts Biofuel Quality: Influence of Switchgrass Harvest Time on Yield, Nitrogen and Ash of Fast Pyrolysis Products Danielle M. Wilson & Dustin L. Dalluge & Marjorie Rover & Emily A. Heaton & Robert C. Brown Published online: 19 July 2012 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012
Abstract Although upgrading bio-oil from fast pyrolysis of biomass is an attractive pathway for biofuel production, nitrogen (N) and mineral matter carried over from the feedstock to the bio-oil represents a serious contaminant in the process. Reducing the N and ash content of biomass feedstocks would improve process reliability and reduce production costs of pyrolytic biofuels. This study investigated: (1) How does switchgrass harvest date influence the yield, N concentration ([N]), and ash concentration of biomass and fast pyrolysis products? and (2) Is there a predictive relationship between [N] of switchgrass biomass and [N] of fast pyrolysis products? Switchgrass from five harvest dates and varying [N] from central Iowa were pyrolyzed using a free-fall reactor. Harvestable biomass peaked in August (8.6 Mg ha−1), dropping significantly by November (6.7 Mg ha−1, P00.0027). Production of bio-oil per unit area mirrored that of harvested biomass at each harvest date; however, bio-oil yield per unit dry biomass increased from 46.6 % to 56.7 % during the season (P00.0018). Allowing switchgrass to senesce lowered biomass [N] dramatically, by as much as 68 % from June to November (P
