The effect of temperature on the mild solvent extraction of white and red oak

Mild solvent extraction (MSE) is an extractive process previously used to directly convert coal to liquid products, gases, and solid chars. The MSE of white oak at three temperatures (300, 350, and 425 °C) and of red oak particles at a single temperature (350 °C) was investigated using anthracene oil as the solvent. For white oak, the intermediate temperature of 350 °C achieved a biomass conversion of 99% with solvent losses of 28%. MSE of the red oak at 350 °C achieved a biomass conversion of 99% with solvent losses of 68%. These results indicate that this process can be utilized with a biomass feedstock, where performance will depend on biomass characteristics, processing temperature, and particle size.