Enhancing hydrogen production from the pyrolysis-gasification of biomass by size-confined Ni catalysts on acidic MCM-41 supports

Hydrogen production from hazardous petroleum sludge gasification over nickel-loaded porous ZSM-5 and Al2O3 catalysts under air condition

In this study, the potential of petroleum sludge (PS) for hydrogen production via the gasification process was evaluated. For this purpose, nickel (Ni)-loaded ZSM-5 and γ-Al₂O₃ (Ni-ZS and Ni-Al) catalysts were prepared and employed for PS gasification in air condition. The effects of different supports, Ni loading content, and reaction temperatures on the production of hydrogen-rich syngas along with the stability and reusability of the best catalyst were investigated. Applying 5%Ni-ZS obtained more gas yield (68.09 wt%) and hydrogen selectivity (25.04 vol%) compared to those obtained by 5%Ni-Al mostly owing to weak metal-support interactions which led to the dominance of well-dispersed metallic Ni. At various Ni loading percentages, 10%Ni-ZS showed the highest catalytic efficiency, which increased both gas yield (70.92 wt%) and hydrogen selectivity (30.74 vol%). However, excessive Ni content (especially 20%) significantly reduced the gas yield and hydrogen selectivity because of limited accessibility of support's active sites, poor dispersion of Ni, and inappropriate acidity. Increasing the temperature promoted the gas yield and produced hydrogen, where the highest gas yield (73.18 wt%) and hydrogen selectivity (33.15 vol%) were obtained at 850 °C due to the endothermic nature of gasification reactions. The 10%Ni-ZS catalyst showed proper stability during three consecutive experiments at 850 °C. The spent catalyst was successfully regenerated without a significant reduction in activity or selectivity.

Understanding Pore Surface Modification of Sucrose-Modified Iron Oxide/Silica Mesoporous Composite for Degradation of Methylene Blue

Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA-15) containing iron oxide with a sucrose-modified in a heterogeneous reaction for degradation methylene blue (MB) successful synthesized used hydrothermal, ultrasonication, and wet impregnation method. SBA-15 is mesoporous silica that can easily serve as external and internal surfaces making it suitable for a wide range of applications. The structure and morphology of materials were characterized using Surface Area Analyzer (SAA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Iron oxide impregnated as a maghemite phase has an average size of 12 nm and well distributed on the SBA-15. After modified with sucrose the materials remaining stable, which has a two-dimensional hexagonal (p6mm) structure, high specific surface area, and large pore volume (up to 1.82 cm3.g−1). The degradation of MB was evaluated under visible light irradiation using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Catalytic activity showed efficiencies of 52.9; 70.2; and 21.1% for SBA-15, Fe2O3/SBA-15, and sucrose-modified Fe2O3/SBA-15 respectively. Sucrose-modified Fe2O3/SBA-15 has the lowest efficiency, which probably occurs due to the presence of pore-blocking and the formation of micropores on the external pore. The modification with sucrose has the advantage of producing a high surface area even though there is a catalytic center due to partial decomposition which causes a decrease in the efficiency of degradation of MB. All materials provide a high micro surface area so that they can be further adapted and can be widely applied to many potential applications as both catalyst support and an adsorbent. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). 

Investigation of a Ni-Modified MCM-41 Catalyst for the Reduction of Oxygenates and Carbon Deposits during the Co-Pyrolysis of Cellulose and Polypropylene

Catalytic fast co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastic is an effective method to achieve high-quality bio-oil production. In this work, (Ni)-MCM-41 catalysts with different Ni loadings were prepared and characterized in detail by using a variety of advanced analytical techniques, and the effects on the catalytic performance were analyzed by micropyrolysis with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and thermogravimetry-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) methods. The results showed that an appropriate amount of Ni addition can effectively modulate the physicochemical properties of MCM-41. For a Ni loading of 25.1 wt % (Cat-C), the catalyst showed an optimal catalytic performance, a decrease in the proportion of oxygenated compounds in the product from 35.6 (MCM-41) to 13.4%, and an increase in the relative total amount of olefins plus aromatics from 62.2 (MCM-41) to 84.6%. The excellent catalytic performance of Cat-C can be ascribed to a balancing of its proper physical structural properties, appropriate acidity, strong metal-carrier interaction, high metal dispersion, and excellent compatibility balance between active and acidic sites.

Effect of calcination conditions on the performance of Ni/MgO–Al2O3 catalysts in the steam reforming of biomass fast pyrolysis volatiles

A study was carried out to understand the influence of calcination conditions of a Ni/MgO–Al₂O₃ catalyst on its performance and stability in the reforming of biomass fast pyrolysis volatiles.

Functionalized Ordered Mesoporous Silicas (MCM-41): Synthesis and Applications in Catalysis

Mesoporous silica sieves are among the most studied nano-objects due to their stable pore structure and easy preparation. In particular, MCM-41 have attracted increasing research attention due to their chemical versatility. This review focuses on the synthesis and regioselective functionalization of MCM-41 to prepare catalytic systems. The topics covered are: mono and di-functionalized MCM-41 as basic and acid catalysts, catalysts based on metallic complexes and heteropolyacids supported onto MCM-41, metallic nanoparticles embed onto functionalized MCM-41 and magnetic MCM-41 for catalytic purposes.