(679c) Catalytic Pyrolysis of Industrial Hemp Biomass for Hydrocarbon Fuels Production

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L) is a fast growing herbaceous biomass that can produce several tons per hectare of biomass feedstocks and can be harvested multiple times per year depending on the geographic location. Industrial hemp stem is composed of a high-cellulose low-lignin bark that has long fibers, and low-cellulose high-lignin core that contain short fibers. The composition of the industrial hemp plant also varies by location and method of cultivation. Most industrial hemp plant cultivation is targeted towards production of cannabidiol (CBD) extractives, fiber production or oilseed production. There have not been any detailed studies on the conversion of industrial hemp into biofuels. We report catalytic pyrolysis studies of industrial hemp biomass into stable pyrolysis oils and hydrodeoxygenation of the pyrolysis oils to hydrocarbon fuels. Catalytic pyrolysis was carried out using zeolite catalyst at 400-450 C in a fluidized bed reactor. The catalytic pyrolysis oils had very low viscosities when fresh but the viscosity increased rapidly with storage time depending on the preprocessing of the feedstock. Despite increased in oil viscosity with storage time, the oils were still very stable and could be hydrotreated in one step to hydrocarbon fuels containing very low oxygen content. Industrial hemp biomass therefore has a potential for producing hydrocarbon fuels for various applications.