Hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass – LiqHyd

Hydrothermal liquefaction optimizes water properties in subcritical conditions; among other benefits, it increases water ion-product and reduces water dielectric constant. This results in the biomass transformation into valuable bio-oil.
The purpose of the LiqHyd project is to develop a – potentially industrial – valuation process for humid (and very humid) organic residue through hydrothermal liquefaction. LiqHyd will make it possible to provide all information necessary for the industrial implementation of six valuation channels.
The project includes:
• A study of the biomass field making it possible to select six ‘typical’ resources based on technical, economic and strategic criteria;
• A set of tests divided in batches (including synthesis of an optimized catalytic converter (ou catalyst)) – 12 months;
• A set of continuous tests (including optimization of bio-oil post-treatment) – 24 months;
• A set of pre-industrial studies (channel organization, technical-economic study, feasibility report / detailed design

The results of the LiqHyd project will allow for the development of an industrial application model.

The project implementation offers three high added-value benefits:

• Close tie with the market. The CCI Drôme is actively involved in the development of technologies that meet the industrial challenges in the region. Its involvement in pool study and “study cases” creation result in a greater accessibility to the biomass field.
• Minimum environmental impact as a prerequisite. The Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) is included in the project coordination and completed as an ongoing part of the project implementation. The LCA is used as a decision-making tool regarding valuation channel development.
• The channel system. The project implementation is based on three : cornerstones:
- Upstream - biomass field,
- processing - technological development
- downstream - co-product valuation.
The technological development is no more than a mean to structure a high-performance, sustainable channel