Dr. Philip Steele has been a Professor in the Department of Forest Products, College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University (MSU) for 20 years with both research and teaching duties. Dr. Steele is the Thrust Leader of the MSU Sustainable Energy Research Center Bio-Oil Research Group and manager of the Bio-Oil Laboratory at MSU. The MSU Bio-Oil Research Group is comprised of 10 on-campus faculty in the Departments of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Forest Products, Mechanical Engineering, and the Institute for Clean Energy who are developing technology for the production of fuels from bio-oils made from various types of wood and agricultural feed stocks. Dr. Steele has won several research awards including the College of Forest Resources Outstanding Research Award and awards for exceptional research papers from both the Hardwood Research Council and the Forest Products Society. He has published widely and is the author or co-author of over 100 research papers.
Post-harvest residues for southern pine species have not previously been quantified to compare volumes produced from both thinnings and clearcut volumes. A John Deere 1490 Slash Bundler bundled post-harvest residues following a 1st thinning of a 14-year-old stand; a 2nd thinning of a 25-year-old stand and a clearcut of a naturally regenerated mature stand of 54 years of age. Regardless of stand type, nearly one-fifth of merchantable volume harvested was collected as post-harvest residue. Bundles stored outside, and exposed to very hot and dry conditions, dried very rapidly from green to nearly the same 18.9% moisture content regardless of stand type and initial moisture content. Response to moderating temperatures and higher precipitation resulted in rapid moisture content increase to 44.9, 39.6 and 29.0% dry weight basis (db) for the 1st and 2nd thinning, and mature stand bundles. The higher rate of moisture content increase for the bundles of the 1st and 2nd thinning stands was related to considerably higher needle content volumes contained in the bundles from these younger stands.
Bio-oils from fast pyrolysis were investigated as a potential for bio-fuels production from southern pine timber and industrial by-products. Pine wood, pine whole tree, pine bark, pine needles, cotton wood, cotton-wood whole tree, cotton-wood bark, and cotton-wood leaves derived bio-oils were obtained from fast pyrolysis at 450°C in an auger-fed reactor. The influence of biomass feed stock on the product yield was investigated. The yields of bio-oil, char and non-condensable gas were ranged from 40.3 and 60.1 wt%, 16.0 and 34.6 wt%, and 17.1 and 34.1 wt%, respectively. The content and composition of non-condensable gas was determined by GC analysis, it was mainly composed of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane. Bio-oils physical properties such as pH, water content, acid value and viscosity were investigated. The bio-oils average molecular weights were determined by gel permeation chromatography technique. The chemical compositions for the different bio-oils were also investigated by GC/MS analysis. Physical and chemical characterization showed that, bio-oils produced from pine wood, pine whole tree and cotton-wood wood may be used as fuel, other feedstocks may be used as potentially valuable source for chemicals.
We have developed a catalyst and process utilizing a commercial catalyst that requires, at most, 30 minutes for successful hydrodeoxygenation to an upgraded biocrude. An upgraded bio-oil containing hydrocarbons, with spectral characteristics very similar to petroleum diesel is produced. This product can be input to petroleum refineries as a biocrude. We have also developed an esterification technology that produces an ungraded bio-oil similar to a bio-diesel product. We will describe our tests of this product for space heating with furnaces and boilers.
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Thanks to Sarah Ashton, Rachel Cook, Lindsey Hannum, James Jeuck, Liwei Lin, James McCarter, Susan McIntyre, and Mark Megalos for providing notes and summaries for presentations.