We consider it one of our most important tasks to gain as much information on our process as possible. Therefore, we perform the upscaling from micro-scale to pilot plant in multiple steps. The gram scale unit is the step in between the TMR/PyroProbe (microscale) and the Mini Plant (100 gram per hour, continuously).
The gram scale unit is a bench reactor with a fixed catalyst and feedstock bed. This unit consists of two reactors connected together: a pyrolysis reactor and a catalytic reactor. We typically process one gram of feedstock and use this setup to determine the mass balance of a certain catalyst-feedstock combination. A wide variety of feedstocks can be tested on the GSU setup: liquids, solids, plastics, biomass, and combinations of feedstocks.
The feedstock is placed in the pyrolysis reactor, which is then immersed in a hot sand bath. Pyrolysis of the feedstock produces pyrolysis vapours, which are transported to the catalytic reactor. The fixed-bed catalyst converts the pyrolysis vapours to the valuable BTX and other products.
The produced vapours are then condensed, sampled, and weighed. The non-condensable gases are sampled as well and can be analysed to assess the composition. Leftover solids are obtained from the pyrolysis reactor, are weighed, and can be analysed. Thus, this setup generates a complete mass balance for every measurement, which can be used to scale up towards the continuous gram scale: the Mini Plant. The big advantage of this unit is the production of a visible and tangible product from your feedstock, while still being at a relatively small scale.