Green coal and lubricant via hydrogen-free hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass
Biocrude derived from biomass via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a sustainable substitute for petroleum to obtain energy and biochemicals. Upgrading biocrude inevitably faces the trade-off between consuming large amounts of hydrogen via hydrotreating and high yield of solid residue without additional hydrogen. In this work, we report a non-hydrogenated refinery paradigm for nearly complete valorization (~90%), via co-generating green coal and bio-lubricant. The obtained green coal has higher heating values comparable to commercial coals, with a lower fuel ratio and reduced ash content. Viscosity of upgraded vacuum distillate is comparable to that of a lubricant oil. A life cycle assessment confirms 28% reduction in greenhouse gas emission and 35% reduction in energy input of this paradigm compared with conventional hydrotreating biorefinery. This approach presents an environmentally friendly, safe and convenient paradigm for biocrude refining from huge biowaste towards carbon-neutral society.
Authors
- Deliang Kong
- Yuanhui Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1387-5618)
- Yingxian Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3510-6468)
- Lasse Rosendahl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5973-8136)
- Yulong Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0212-6689)
- Maojiong Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5939-0398)
- Changbin Yuan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6323-2496)
- Zhidan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4411-7644)
- E Reaihan
- Chunbao Charles Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6543-3817)
- Jiaming Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1114-4568)
Institutions
- Shihezi University (CN)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Henan University of Science and Technology (CN)
- City University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (CN)
- China Agricultural University (CN)
- Aalborg University (DK)
- Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering (CN)
- Tsinghua University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-01-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56037-z
- Citations
- 21
- Primary Topic
- Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 14.16
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Agricultural University
- Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
- National Key Research and Development Program of China