Materials performance considerations in hydrothermal liquefaction conversion of biomass, TAPPI Journal June 2025

 


Application: The HTL conversion of woody biomass into biochemicals and bio-oils involves harsh operating conditions that are corrosive towards low-cost structural alloys. This article reviews cost-effective corrosion control strategies aimed at increasing the Cr content for protective surface oxide formation, as screened by testing in simulated HTL alkaline water. Ferritic stainless steels, as a candidate construction material for structural reactor components, exhibit a promising combination of resistance to both corrosion and stress corrosion cracking.

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Author: Elliott Asare; Yimin Zeng; and Joseph Kish
Materials performance considerations in hydrothermal liquefa
ABSTRACT: Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a promising thermochemical route developed to convert woody biomass and biowaste to biochemicals and bio-oils. However, the operating conditions are rather harsh to biorefinery structural metallic components. These conditions include alkaline catalysts such as potassium carbonate (K2CO3); hot, pressurized (sub-critical) water reaction; and medium and aggressive anions chlorine (Cl•) and hydrogen sulfide (H•) released from biomass feedstocks. Thus, selection of suitable structural alloys for biorefinery components involves striking a balance between mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and cost. Alloys currently being considered for this application include ferritic-martensitic steels and austenitic stainless steels. From a corrosion perspective in hot pressurized water, the former typically exhibits higher stress corrosion cracking resistance, whereas the latter exhibits higher corrosion resistance. This study reviews cost-effective corrosion control strategies aimed at increasing the chromium (Cr) content for protective surface oxide formation, as screened by testing in simulated HTL alkaline water, to support materials selection and design. Corrosion control strategies include surface modification (increasing surface Cr content), alloying (increasing bulk Cr content), and stainless-steel type (ferritic vs. austenitic). Of the alloys considered (including those subjected to surface modification), ferritic stainless steels exhibit a promising balance between corrosion and stress corrosion cracking resistance, adding another family of candidate alloys for structural biorefinery component materials selection and design.
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