Production of acetic acid-rich bio-oils from the fast pyrolysis of biomass and synthesis of calcium magnesium acetate deicer

Fast pyrolysis of corncob, palm kernel shell, and radiata pine was conducted at ∼430 °C to produce acetic acid-rich bio-oils. The bio-oil derived from corncob contained a high concentration of acetic acid (∼8 wt.%). Atmospheric and vacuum distillation of the bio-oil from corncob was performed to obtain bio-oil fractions enriched with acetic acid. The resultant atmospheric and vacuum distilled fractions were enriched with acetic acid containing ∼10 and 15 wt.% acetic acid. In particular, the vacuum distilled fraction contained very low contents of lignin degradation products. Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), a biodegradable deicing agent, was then synthesized using corncob-derived bio-oils (a whole bio-oil, atmospheric and vacuum distilled fractions) and natural and calcined dolomite. Analytical results revealed that the CMAs synthesized by the reaction between atmospheric and vacuum distilled fractions and calcined dolomite were chemically identical to the commercial CMA. In particular, the vacuum distilled fraction and calcined dolomite proved to be the best reactants for the CMA production.