Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Catalytic Materials Using Industrial Slag: Influence of Alkaline Pretreatment, Synthesis Time and Temperature

Abstract

Industrial ferrous wastes found their application in construction. However, they are mostly stored polluting the environment. In the current work, possibility of value added products synthesis from steel slag with their further use as catalysts was investigated. Slag-based catalysts were obtained by alkaline treatment with sodium hydroxide by variation of synthesis parameters. The physico-chemical properties of the synthesized materials were determined by N2-physisorption, SEM, EDX, TEM, XRD and TPD. Slag-based catalysts were applied in the transformation of wood biomass, namely softwood sawdust. Novel catalytic materials synthesized from industrial slag exhibited the presence of strong basic sites and highly crystalline phases of SiO2, Al2O3, CaCO3, Ca(OH)2, Fe2O3, MgO and TiO2. Alkaline treatment of the raw material promoted creation of mesoporosity and an increase of the surface area. Catalytic fast pyrolysis of pine sawdust displayed variations in the yields of the reaction products in the presence of catalysts as compared to thermal fast pyrolysis. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]