Thermochemical conversion of C. cardunculus L. in nitrate molten salts

Abstract The use of a binary mixture of solar molten salts (60 wt% NaNO 3 and 40 wt% KNO 3 ) as a heat transfer medium for the production of a solar fuel by the thermochemical conversion of biomass is investigated in the present paper. Thermochemical conversion can be a route for converting the surplus solar irradiation via the direct contact of nitrate molten salts and biomass into storable chemical fuel. Traditional fixed-bed pyrolysis and molten salts pyrolysis have been carried out under an inert atmosphere at a temperature of 500 °C. The composition of the permanent gases and the bio-oil produced has been analyzed along with the temperature profiles inside the reactor. Two distinctive pathways have been observed: an endothermic process in the case of traditional fixed-bed pyrolysis and an exothermic process in the case of molten salt pyrolysis. An attempt has been made to identify possible causes for such differences.