Upgrading of Kraft Lignin-Derived Bio-Oil over Hierarchical and Nonhierarchical Ni and/or Zn/HZSM5 Catalysts

Catalytic pyrolysis of fish waste oil using ZSM-5 catalyst for the production of renewable biofuel

This present study enlightens the eco-friendly green synthesis of ZSM-5 from natural clay montmorillonite, and its proper incorporation with 'Ni'. Nickle (Ni) was wet impregnated onto HZSM-5 and the resulting catalyst was characterized by various techniques including XRD, BET, N2 Sorption Studies, TPD, SEM and TEM techniques. The SEM images revealed the uniform distribution of Ni over HZSM-5 zeolite catalyst and the XRD results indicated the undistorted crystalline structure of HZSM-5 even after impregnation of Ni. The latter part of the work concentrates on the strength of the catalyst in cracking oil derived from discarded fish parts. Discarded fish waste was pyrolyzed to obtain the fish oil, which was then used for cracking studies. The fish oil was efficiently converted (99% conversion) by Ni/ZSM5 (50 wt %) and yielded 70% liquid fractions, which formed gasoline (78.6%), kerosene (12.3%) and diesel (9.1%). The research is a complete parcel to examine the working potential of the produced biofuel in pre-existing engines. The quality of gasoline fraction was tested according to ASTM standards, which showed that the heating value was slightly lower compared to fossil gasoline. The torque and brake fuel consumption were also examined and it indicated that the fish oil derived gasoline fuel may need to be mixed with the commercial gasoline to optimize its performance.

LiCoO2 impregnated nano-hierarchical ZSM-5 assisted catalytic upgrading of Kraft lignin-derived liquefaction bio-oil

In this study, Kraft lignin-derived bio-oil was upgraded with LiCoO2 or Co3O4-impregnated hierarchical nano-ZSM-5 catalysts. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by N2-Ads-Des, XRD, XPS, NH3-TPD, FTIR, FESEM and ICP-OES analyses. Upon incorporation of LiCoO2 and Co3O4 onto the HZSM-5 support, the MFI structure of HZSM-5 remained intact. All the catalysts displayed a combination of Type-I and -IV isotherms. The upgraded bio-oil showed a significant increase in the amounts of alkylated guaiacols owing to the reduction in unsubstituted guaiacols, alkenyl guaiacols, and homovanillic acid. Hydrogenation, alkylation, and deoxygenation were the plausible bio-oil upgrading pathways. With the increase in cobalt content, weak acidity decreased through all the catalysts, while LiCoO2 provided supplementary acid sites that increased the total acidity of LiCoO2/HZSM-5 compared to the Co3O4/HZSM-5 catalyst. LiCoO2/HZSM-5 with a low cobalt content (5% and 10% Co) displayed high selectivity for the production of alkylated guaiacols owing to their strong acidity. The upgraded bio-oils showed an increase in carbon and hydrogen followed by a decrease in oxygen content. The maximum higher heating value (∼29.83 MJ kg-1) was obtained for the 10% Co (LiCoO2)/HZSM-5 catalyst. In general, LiCoO2/HZSM-5 outperformed the Co3O4/HZSM-5 catalyst. XRD of the spent 10% Co (LiCoO2)/HZSM-5 suggested the complete loss of lithium from the catalyst with the retention of the MFI structure of the HZSM-5 support. In this study, it was successfully demonstrated that the main constituent of the cathode material of spent lithium-ion batteries i.e. LiCoO2 could be employed to synthesize a novel and cheap catalyst for bio-oil upgrading while addressing the e-waste management issue in a sustainable manner.