In-situ catalytic upgrading of bio-oils derived from fast pyrolysis of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin over various zeolites

Abstract

In this study, in-situ catalytic upgrading of bio-oils derived from the fast pyrolysis of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin over various commercial zeolites was investigated. The liquid products were recovered with acetone in an ice-cold trap and analyzed by Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and the gas products (CO, CO2, CH4 and H2) were analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Thermal Conductivity Detector (GC-TCD). It is found that H-ZSM-5 (HSZ-822), H-Beta (HSZ-931) and H-USY (HSZ-330) exhibited high performance for the conversion of oxygenated compounds in the bio-oils to aromatic hydrocarbons. Also, it is found that the biomass feedstock types showed great influence on the hydrocarbon compositions when using the same catalyst. High yield of BTXs was obtained by catalytic upgrading of the bio-oils derived from the cellulose and lignin over H-USY and H-Beta zeolites. In contrast, the remarkable production of xylene was observed in the catalytic upgrading of the bio-oils derived from the hemicellulose over all zeolite types. Moreover, the reusability of these three zeolites was in the order of H-Beta > H-USY > H-ZSM-5.