Hydrothermal Upgrading of Bitumen with Glucose as Hydrogen Donor

The hydrothermal (HT) upgrading of bitumen with glucose, a model compound of biomass, as hydrogen donor was verified. A parametric study of glucose-promoted upgrading of bitumen, under HT conditions was carried out. The results confirmed the positive influence of glucose in the bitumen upgrading via the catalytic hydrogenation reactions. The optimum conditions for bitumen upgrading were: temperature 400 °C, glucose concentration 5 wt%, reaction time 90 min and catalyst amount 0.08 g. A proposed mechanism for bitumen upgrading with glycerin was discussed.