title: Hydrothermal liquefaction of the brown macro-alga Laminaria saccharina: effect of reaction conditions on product distribution and composition.
abstract: The brown macro-alga Laminaria saccharina was converted into bio-crude by hydrothermal liquefaction in a batch reactor. The influence of reactor loading, residence time, temperature and catalyst (KOH) loading was assessed. A maximum bio-crude yield of 19.3 wt% was obtained with a 1:10 biomass:water ratio at 350 °C and a residence time of 15 min without the presence of the catalyst. The bio-crude had an HHV of 36.5 MJ/kg and is similar in nature to a heavy crude oil or bitumen. The solid residue has high ash content and contains a large proportion of calcium and magnesium. The aqueous phase is rich in sugars and ammonium and contains a large proportion of potassium and sodium.
authors.affiliation: Energy and Resources Research Institute, School of Process, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Anastasakis
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007795:Laminaria / Q000737:chemistry*; D008274:Magnesium / Q000032:analysis; D011188:Potassium / Q000032:analysis; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D012964:Sodium / Q000032:analysis; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D014867:Water; D012964:Sodium; D008274:Magnesium; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium