OIL PRODUCTION FROM AN ARID-LAND PLANT - FIXED-BED PYROLYSIS AND HYDROPYROLYSIS OF EUPHORBIA-RIGIDA

Fixed-bed pyrolysis and hydropyrolysis experiments at different temper atures, heating rates and pressures have been conducted on a sample of Euphorbia rigida to investigate the product yields and characteristic s. In hydrogen at 15 MPa and 550 degrees C, the trends in yield and pr oduct composition markedly differ from those found previously for coal s and oil shales; also the oil yield of 41.5 wt% is more than double t hat obtained from static retorting. This increase by using high hydrog en pressure is much greater when expressed on a carbon basis, due to t he reduced oxygen contents of the oils, and the carbon conversion is i ncreased by similar to 25% relative to static retorting. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.