Technical Requirements for BioOil Handling

Material of container for shipment & storage

All BioOil wetted surfaces should be in Stainless 304, 316, HDPE, EPDM, PVC or Teflon because of BioOil’s acidity (pH of 2.2 - 3.0).

Temperature

During storage and transportation BioOil should be kept above 15 OC to maintain good fluidity, but should not be stored at temperatures higher than 40 OC for long to avoid polymerization.

Mixing

During storage BioOil should be agitated or circulated to maintain good homogeneity.

Pumping

For pumping large quantities of BioOil(more than 10 tons), all piping must be generous and not less than 3" on suction (keep as short as possible with generous NPSH) and 2" diameter on discharge-use reinforced PVC hose if practical. 

Pressure

BioOil does not exert pressures at temperature much different from water. Carriers designed to handle diesel fuels or equal will suffice for BioOil.

Cleaning BioOil out of tanker

Cleaning is best done with denatured ethanol. It will depend on end user requirements of the BioOil but it may be possible to add the collected wash spill to the BioOil, in particular if the end use is as a fuel. Do not wash with water as it will cause separation. Ethanol is preferable to methanol. Carrier is advised to carry a small amount of denatured ethanol with him to clean tools and valves.

Cleaning of spills in water

Contrary to oil spills, BioOil being heavier, in water it will quickly sink to the bottom where much of it will dissolve with time (up to 65%),  because parts of it are water-soluble (J.Blin, G. Volle, P. Girard, “Biodegradability of Fast Pyrolysis Oil”, CIRAD Forestry Department, International Research Centre for Agricultural and Development, France).

BioOil is a natural product and therefore a spill is believed not to cause nearly the catastrophic damage of fossil oil. However, work is ongoing to determine its exact effect on marine life (C. Peacocke, “Transport, Handling and Storage of Fast Pyrolysis Liquids”, Conversion and Resource Evaluation Ltd., Ireland). Since BioOil has a density greater than 1, marine transport may have to follow similar regulations as higher density chemicals.

Initial report of toxicology tests by CIRAD, France on EU funded project advises that BioOil (defined as hydrolyzed wood) is not explosive and non-toxic, further testing is ongoing.

BioOil data sheet for tanker shipment

TDG information

UN Number: UN1993
TDG Shipping Name: Flammable Liquid N.O.S. (lignin Solution)
TDG Classification: Class 3, Packing Group III

Cleaning agents

To clean BioOil from equipment, denatured ethanol (recommended) and methanol are both good cleaning agents for BioOil. Obtain their MSDS information and observe that they have their own dangers (poisonous and flammable).

Shipment of BioOil

BioOil Tanker

Note:

1. BioOil made from bark usually contains some wax (floating on top) and needs to be heated15 °C more than wax free BioOil.
2. Heated container truck may be needed in cold weather to transport BioOil but is not an absolute requirement.
3. To empty Whitewood BioOil from the truck, a temperature above 15/20 °C is recommended and for Whitewood/bark BioOil >30 °C is required.