Ingeniero Mecanico

Methods for Producing Biochar and Advanced 
Biofuels in Washington State 
 
Part 1: Literature Review of Pyrolysis Reactors  
 

 

Ecology Publication Number 11‐07‐017

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
April 2011

If you need this document in a version for the visually impaired, call the Waste 2 Resources at (360) 4076900. Persons withhearing loss, call 711 for Washington Relay Service. Persons with a speech
disability, call 877-833-6341.

This review was conducted under Interagency Agreement C100172 with the Center for Sustaining
Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University.
Acknowledgements:
Funding for this study is provided by the Washington State Department of Ecology with the
intention toaddress the growing demand for information on the design of advanced pyrolysis units.
The authors wish to thank Mark Fuchs from the Waste to Resources Program (Washington State
Department of Ecology), and David Sjoding from the WSU Energy program for their continuous
support and encouragement.. This is the first of a series of reports exploring the use of biomass
thermochemical conversiontechnologies to sequester carbon and to produce fuels and chemicals.
This report is available on the Department of Ecology’s website at:
www.ecy.wa.gov/beyondwaste/organics. Some figures and photos can be seen in color in the
online file. Additional project reports supported by Organic Wastes to Fuel Technology sponsored
by Ecology are also available on this web site. This report is also available atthe Washington State
University Extension Energy Program library of bioenergy information at
www.pacificbiomass.org.

Citation:
Garcia-Perez M., T. Lewis, C. E. Kruger, 2010. Methods for Producing Biochar and Advanced
Biofuels in Washington State. Part 1: Literature Review of Pyrolysis Reactors. First Project Report.
Department of Biological Systems Engineering and the Center for SustainingAgriculture and
Natural Resources, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 137 pp.

Beyond Waste Objectives:
Turning organic waste into resources, such as compost, biofuels, recovery of stable carbon and
nutrients and other products promotes economic vitality in growing industries, and protects the
environment. This creates robust markets and sustainable jobs in all sectors of the economy,and
facilitates closed-loop materials management where by-product from one process becomes
feedstock for another with no waste generated.

Disclaimer:
It is our objective to investigate previous technologies in order to create extremely clean, nonpolluting thermochemical processes for producing energy, fuels and valuable by-products. The
Department of Ecology and Washington State Universityprovide this publication as a review of
ancient and existing methods of reduction of cellulosic materials to gases, liquids and char. This
does not represent an endorsement of these processes.

The historical development of pyrolysis related industries is one
of the most interesting in the annals of industrial chemistry.
Very often the by-products of today become the main products
oftomorrow.
James Withrow, 1915

Since the chemical industry today can produce by-products
obtained from the pyrolysis of wood, with the exception of
biochar, more cheaply than the pyrolysis process the main
emphasis in the latter is on the production of biochar. For this
reason simple carbonization methods, similar to the original
biochar piles but in improved form are likely to be moreeconomical than more complicated plants that place emphasis
on the isolation and processing of by-products.
Herman F.J. Wenzl, 1970

Table of Contents
SUMMARY

vi

1. INTRODUCTION

1

2. EVOLUTION OF PYROLYSIS TECHNOLOGIES

4

2.1. History of Pyrolysis Technologies

4

2.2. History of Pyrolysis Technologies in the United States

7

3. CRITERIA TO SELECT PYROLYSIS REACTORS...