The effect of supercritical water on crude glycerin solution

"Crude glycerin solution, a principal byproduct of the conventional biodiesel process, was reacted in supercritical water using a specially designed Haynesʼ Alloy 282 reactor system for the production of hydrogen rich syngas. The effects of temperature, pressure, water-to-carbon molar ratio, reactor residence time, and glycerin-to-methanol weight ratio on the extent of carbon gasification and gas composition were explored. Based on the results, the extent and selectivity of reactions that concurrently occur when methanol and glycerin are in the presence of supercritical water were analyzed. A decomposition reaction pathway for glycerin conversion to syngas was hypothesized, and then utilizing the results of the crude glycerin solution experiments, as well as experiments using pure methanol and pure glycerin with supercritical water, the hypothesized decomposition pathway was evaluated. Also an empirical equation was formulated to predict the gas composition and carbon gasification of crude glycerin using the reaction conditions of temperature and reactor residence time. To gain a better understanding of how the functional groups of different hydrocarbon molecules react when exposed to supercritical water, experiments were also conducted to determine the effect of hydroxyl groups on hydrocarbons in supercritical water. These experiments used isopropanol, propylene glycol, and glycerin as monohydric, dihydric, and trihydric alcohol feeds. The effect that the number and the position of hydroxyl groups in the molecular structures had on carbon gasification and gas composition were determined at multiple temperatures, of hydroxyl groups were shown to have a great impact on the decomposition mechanism of hydrocarbons"--Abstract, page iv.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering

Grantor

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Year dc:date.available

2016

Author dc:creator

• Bouquet, Jared

• Chemical Engineering

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations/2294

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarsmine.mst.edu:doctoral_dissertations-3296