Direct hydro-liquefaction of sawdust in petroleum ether and comprehensive bio-oil products analysis

•Bio-oil was produced by hydroliquefaction of sawdust in petroleum ether.•The heating value of the bio-oil produced was 40.29 MJ/kg−1 under the optimal conditions.•The optimal sawdust conversion was 72.32%, with a maximum bio-oil yield of 47.69%.•GC–MS and FT-ICR MS technique were used to identify the chemical components of bio-oil.

The effect of temperature, time, hydrogen pressure and amount of catalyst on production distribution and the bio-oil yield obtained from the direct liquefaction of sawdust in the petroleum ether (60–90 °C) are investigated. The highest sawdust conversion obtained was 72.32% with a bio-oil yield of 47.69% were obtained at 370 °C, 40 min and 5wt.% catalyst content with the initial H2 pressure of 3.0 MPa. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) approach was utilized to analyze the non-volatile fraction. In this study, the composition of bio-oil could be analyzed in an unprecedented detail through a combination of GC–MS and FT-ICR MS techniques.