crudesANDproducts: How We Unlock the Potential of Liquid Pyrolysis Products as Valuable Resources

The decentralized utilization of biogenic residues is a key enabler of a sustainable circular economy. It reduces long transport distances, strengthens regional value creation, and closes material cycles. One major challenge, however, remains the efficient and economically viable use of all product streams from pyrolysis.

This is where the crudesANDproducts research project comes in. Our goal is to establish the liquid fractions of pyrolysis as valuable products and to significantly advance the technological foundations for their recovery.

Project Goal: Creating Added Value from the Condensate

The focus lies on the holistic upgrading of liquid pyrolysis products in order to unlock their as-yet underutilized potential.

Approach: From Analysis to Application

The project combines fundamental research with application-oriented technology development.

• Systematic Process Analysis:
  • In our laboratory-scale rotary kiln pyrolysis unit, biogenic residues are processed under precisely controlled conditions.
  • The focus is on accurate mass and energy balances throughout the entire process to build the foundation for later scale-up scenarios.
  • Comprehensive laboratory analytics of the feedstocks and all product streams (solid, liquid, gas) provide in-depth process understanding.

• Technological Development:
  • A key focus is on improving condensation systems to optimize the yield and quality of the liquid fractions.
  • Concepts for autothermal operation of the pyrolysis process — even with bio-oil condensation — are being investigated, enabling more flexible energy utilization in future plants.
  • The development and implementation of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) aims to enhance product quality.

Expected Results and Outlook

The insights from crudesANDproducts will deliver tangible technological and methodological advances:

Scalable condensation technology: A large-scale prototype of a condensation unit will pave the way for future industrial systems.

Validated process data: Long-term tests will demonstrate the stability of the recovery methods — a key factor for future plant operators and investors — keyword: due diligence.

Evaluation basis: Extensive analyses of residues and biochar will provide valuable data to assess the suitability of various feedstocks and to anticipate prospects for certifications (such as the EBC certificate) at an early stage.

Outlook

The crudesANDproducts project is creating the scientific and technical foundation to enable the industrial-scale, economically viable utilization of pyrolysis bio-oils and bring it into practical implementation!