Copyrolysis of Oxygenate-Containing Materials with Bitumen

Thermal upgrading of bitumen at lower temperature can increase the overall liquid yield; however, from a practical point of view, decreasing the temperature leads to a lower reaction rate, eroding its industrial value. In order to increase pyrolysis rate at lower temperatures, copyrolysis of bitumen with potentially more reactive oxygenate-containing materials was proposed. The overall aim was to increase liquid yield and decrease gas yield and coke production, while increasing the pyrolysis rate. The oxygenate-containing materials that were investigated were partially oxidized bitumen, coals of different rank (lignite, subbituminous, and bituminous) and biomass-derived components (cellulose and lignin). No detectable increase in propagation rate, or decrease in the onset temperature of pyrolysis were observed due to addition of the oxygenate-containg materials. However, synergism with respect to a decrease in gas yield and organic residue was found during copyrolysis with some of the materials. There was meaningful synergism during copyrolysis with bituminous coal and lignin.