Catalytic fast pyrolysis of cellulose mixed with sulfated titania to produce levoglucosenone: Analytical Py-GC/MS study

Abstract

Sulfated titania (SO42-/TiO2) was prepared and used for catalytic fast pyrolysis of cellulose to produce levoglucosenone (LGO), a valuable anhydrosugar product. Analytical pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) technique was employed in this study to achieve the catalytic fast pyrolysis of cellulose and on-line analysis of the pyrolysis vapors. Experiments were performed to investigate the effects of several factors on the LGO production, i.e. pyrolysis temperature, cellulose/catalyst ratio, TiO2 crystal type, and pyrolysis time. The results indicated that the SO42-/TiO2 catalyst lowered the initial cellulose decomposition temperature and altered the pyrolytic product significantly. Levoglucosan (LG) was the most abundant product in the non-catalytic process, while levoglucosenone (LGO) was the major product in the catalytic process. The maximal LGO yield was obtained at the set pyrolysis temperature of 400 °C, while the highest LGO content was obtained at 350 °C, with the peak area% over 50%. In addition, the SO42-/TiO2 (anatase) was confirmed the best catalyst for the LGO production.