Hydrothermal processing

Hydrothermal processing, also known as Hydrothermal Upgrading (HTU), is a thermochemical conversion process that is used to convert biomass into valuable products or biofuel. The process is usually performed in water at 250-374°C under pressures of 4-22 MPa. The biomass is degraded into small components in water. Based on the target products, which are bio-oil, biogas or bio-carbon, the process conditions (i.e., temperature, pressure and residence time) are chosen. One of the most important advantages of hydrothermal processing is that it can use biomass with high moisture content withouth the need for pre-drying. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and gasification are two basic types of hydrothermal processes.