Research on catalytic pyrolysis of algae based on Py-GC/MS

R Soc Open Sci. 2019 Nov 13;6(11):191307. doi: 10.1098/rsos.191307. eCollection 2019 Nov.

Abstract

In order to improve the quality of catalysis products of algae, composite molecular sieve catalyst was prepared by digestion and crystallization of HZSM-5 to reduce the oxygen content of the catalytic products. According to the analysis of the pyrolysis products, the best preparation conditions were chosen of tetra propylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) solution 2.0 mol l-1, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) solution 10 wt%, crystallization temperature 110°C, digestion-crystallization time: 24-24 h. The results indicate that the main function of catalysts is to promote the conversion of alcohols into hydrocarbons by reducing energy barriers. Catalysed by the composite molecular sieve, the content of alcohols in the pyrolysis products decreased from more than 30% to less than 10%, the content of hydrocarbons increased from 20% to nearly 60%, while all the adverse components remained at a low level, which indicates that the catalytic pyrolysis products are of high quality. The great deoxidation effect of composite molecular sieves is not only due to the expansion of the range of organic matter during re-pyrolysis, but also the increasing of the residence time of pyrolysis products inside the structure for the external mesoporous structure.

Keywords: HZSM-5/MCM-41composite molecular sieve; Py-GC/MS; algae biomass; catalyst; pyrolysis.

Associated data

  • Dryad/10.5061/dryad.22829q7