Regulating light olefins or aromatics production in ex-situ catalytic pyrolysis of biomass by engineering the structure of tin modified ZSM-5 catalyst

Catalytic fast pyrolysis of waste pine sawdust over solid base, acid and base-acid tandem catalysts

Catalytic pyrolysis is an effective means for high-value utilization of biomass. This study investigated the effect of solid base catalysts (CaO, calcium aluminate catalysts CaAl-1, CaAl-2, CaAl-3), acid zeolite catalysts (ZSM-5, Fe/ZSM-5, Co/ZSM-5, Ni/ZSM-5, Cu/ZSM-5, Zn/ZSM-5) and base-acid tandem catalysts on pine sawdust pyrolysis using Py-GC/MS. Acid zeolite catalysts exhibited robust deoxidation and aromatization capabilities, favoring aromatics, while solid base catalysts yielded more phenols and ketones. Among the solid base catalysts, CaAl-3 (CaO-Ca12Al14O33) showed comparable deoxygenation activity to CaO and optimal aromatic selectivity with structural stability. Zn/ZSM-5 excelled in deoxygenation and aromatic selectivity (70.42%) among metal-modified ZSM-5 catalysts. Base-acid tandem catalysis promoted the formation of aliphatics and BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene) while suppressing polycyclic aromatics. The highest BTX content (44.35%) was achieved with CaO-Ca12Al14O33&Zn/ZSM-5 tandem catalysts in a 1:3 ratio. This work demonstrates base-acid tandem catalysis as a promising approach for converting pine sawdust into valuable chemicals.

Product regulation and catalyst deactivation during ex-situ catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass over Nickel-Molybdenum bimetallic modified micro-mesoporous zeolites and clays

Ni-Mo bimetallic modified micro-mesoporous zeolite catalysts were prepared and employed in the process of ex-situ catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) of poplar to produce liquid fuel. Clay catalysts were incorporated to further improve the products quality. The mass yield of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs) increased under the catalysis of composite catalysts AZM and NiMo/AZM. HAP&Zeolite dual catalyst system reduced coke yield of NiMo/AZM to 5.01 wt%. Through real-time monitoring of gas products, the catalytic performance of zeolites began to decrease after the ratio of biomass and catalyst was more than 1. A series of characterization results futher demonstrated that AZM and NiMo/AZM possessed more stable catalytic ability and higher catalytic activity during the whole CFP process. N2 adsorption-desorption measurement and Raman characterization illustrated the formation and structure of coke, catalyst deactivation and the protective mechanism of mesopores on micropores.

Light olefin synthesis from a diversity of renewable and fossil feedstocks: state-of the-art and outlook

Light olefins are important feedstocks and platform molecules for the chemical industry. Their synthesis has been a research priority in both academia and industry. There are many different approaches to the synthesis of these compounds, which differ by the choice of raw materials, catalysts and reaction conditions. The goals of this review are to highlight the most recent trends in light olefin synthesis and to perform a comparative analysis of different synthetic routes using several quantitative characteristics: selectivity, productivity, severity of operating conditions, stability, technological maturity and sustainability. Traditionally, on an industrial scale, the cracking of oil fractions has been used to produce light olefins. Methanol-to-olefins, alkane direct or oxidative dehydrogenation technologies have great potential in the short term and have already reached scientific and technological maturities. Major progress should be made in the field of methanol-mediated CO and CO₂ direct hydrogenation to light olefins. The electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to light olefins is a very attractive process in the long run due to the low reaction temperature and possible use of sustainable electricity. The application of modern concepts such as electricity-driven process intensification, looping, CO₂ management and nanoscale catalyst design should lead in the near future to more environmentally friendly, energy efficient and selective large-scale technologies for light olefin synthesis.

An Efficient Zr-ZSM-5-st Solid Acid Catalyst for the Polyol Esterification Reaction

In this study, Zr active species were implanted into a ZSM-5 zeolite framework to form a solid acid catalyst through steam treatment and the liquid-solid isomorphous substitution process. The as-synthesized Zr-ZSM-5-st catalyst ensured excellent esterification of trimethylolpropane and fatty acids (FAs) to achieve a polyol ester production yield of 94.41%. Combined with N2 physisorption, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy mapping, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, NH3 temperature-programmed desorption, and inductively coupled mass plasma spectroscopy were conducted. The results revealed that the excellent performance of Zr-ZSM-5-st catalyst could be attributed to the enhanced acidity and the developed surface area and pore structure.

Thermochemical conversion of heavy metal contaminated biomass: Fate of the metals and their impact on products

With the rapid depletion of fossil energy and increasingly severe environmental pollution, the development of biomass resources for biorefineries has become a new research focus. However, heavy metals may be released during the thermochemical treatment when the biomass materials used in biomass conversion are contaminated by heavy metals. This can cause secondary environmental pollution or transference to the target products, reducing product quality. Therefore, having a systematic understanding of the fate of heavy metals in biomass conversion is necessary for alleviating potential risks. This study presents the current status of contaminated biomass and conversion products involving thermochemical processes, the migration, transformation, and impact of heavy metals in biomass conversion was investigated, and the utilization of heavy metals in contaminated biomass was briefly outlined. This review aims to link biomass conversion to the fate of heavy metals, avoid existing risks as much as possible to produce cleaner products efficiently, and promote the sustainable development of heavy metal contaminated biomass resources.

Fast hydropyrolysis of biomass Conversion: A comparative review

Recent studies show that fast hydropyrolysis (i.e., pyrolysis under hydrogen atmosphere operating at a rapid heating rate) is a promising technology for the conversion of biomass into liquid fuels (e.g., bio-oil and C₄₊ hydrocarbons). This pyrolysis approach is reported to be more effective than conventional fast pyrolysis in producing aromatic hydrocarbons and also lowering the oxygen content of the bio-oil obtained compared to hydrodeoxygenation (a common bio-oil upgrading method). Based on current literature, various non-catalytic and catalytic fast hydropyrolysis processes are reviewed and discussed. Efforts to combine fast hydropyrolysis and hydrotreatment process are also highlighted. Points to be considered for future research into fast hydropyrolysis and pending challenges are also discussed.

In-situ catalytic upgrading of bio-oil from rapid pyrolysis of biomass over hollow HZSM-5 with mesoporous shell

To solve the issue of narrow micropores in traditional protonic type Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 (HZSM-5) catalysts in the restricting of large-molecular reactants/products diffusion, hollow HZSM-5 with a mesoporous shell was prepared using a hydrothermal method combined with a tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) treatment process. Applying for in-situ catalyst upgrading of bio-oil from rapid pyrolysis of biomass, the obtained most efficient catalyst of Hollow(30)-TP resulted in aromatic hydrocarbon yields in the range of 78.49-78.67% for cellulose and hemicellulose, which is much greater than those using the traditional HZSM-5 (61.06-68.26%). Furthermore, in the case using real biomass (cedar) with an optimal biomass/catalyst weight ratio of 1:2, the aromatic hydrocarbon yield reached up to 80.16%. In addition, this catalyst exhibited excellent reusability and regeneration property due to the increased accessibility to the acid sites in the hollow HZSM-5 for the improving of the reaction rate as well as the reducing of coking.