Fast pyrolysis of creosote treated wood ties in a fluidized bed reactor and analytical characterization of product fractions

A fraction of creosote treated wood ties was pyrolyzed in a pyrolysis plant equipped with a fluidized bed reactor and char-separation system at different temperatures. Analyses of each pyrolysis product, especially the oil, were carried out using a variety of analytical tools. The maximum oil yield was obtained at 458 °C with a value of 69.3 wt%. Oils obtained were easily separated into two phases, a creosote-derived fraction (CDF) and a wood-derived fraction (WDF). Major compounds of the WDF were acetic acid, furfural and levoglucosan, while the CDF was mainly composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as 1-methylnaphthalene, biphenyl, acenaphthene, dibenzofuran, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene. HPLC analysis showed that the concentration of PAHs of the CDF obtained at 458 °C constituted about 22.5 wt% of the oil.