title: A general kinetic model for the hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae.
abstract: We developed a general kinetic model for hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of microalgae. The model, which allows the protein, lipid, and carbohydrate fractions of the cell to react at different rates, successfully correlated experimental data for the hydrothermal liquefaction of Chlorella protothecoides, Scenedesmus sp., and Nannochloropsis sp. The model can faithfully account for the influence of time and temperature on the gravimetric yields of gas, solid, biocrude, and aqueous-phase products from isothermal HTL of a 15 wt% slurry. Examination of the rate constants shows that lipids and proteins are the major contributors to the biocrude, while other algal cell constituents contribute very little to the biocrude.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2300 Hayward St. 3074 HH DOW, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136, United States.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Valdez
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2300 Hayward St. 3074 HH DOW, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136, United States.
authors.forename: Vincent J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Tocco
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2300 Hayward St. 3074 HH DOW, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136, United States. Electronic address: psavage@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Phillip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Savage
mesh_terms: D007700:Kinetics; D058086:Microalgae / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical
keywords: Hydrothermal liquefaction; Kinetic model; Microalgae; Reaction network