Abstract
Catalytic pyrolysis of date palm seeds (DPS) has been carried out in a pyroprobe connected online with a GC/MS. The effect of a HZSM-5 zeolite on the product distribution has been studied at 450 and 500 °C by using different catalyst/biomass mass ratios (1, 2, 5) and that of a dolomite catalyst at 450 °C using a catalyst/biomass mass ratio of one. Product distributions have been monitored and their trends explained based on the properties of the catalysts used. The HZSM-5 promotes the formation of incondensable gases and aromatic hydrocarbons due to its high acidity and shape selectivity. The concentrations of incondensable gases and hydrocarbons increase markedly with the catalyst/biomass mass ratio, with their peak area percentages ranging from 23.6 to 54.1% and from 7.1 to 24.5%, respectively. At the same time, a significative reduction in the amount of acids, ketones, phenols, furans, and anhydrosugars has been determined. The dolomite catalyst enhances ketonization reactions, which leads to a significant increase in the content of ketones, accounting for a value of around 27%.
Highlights
The bio-oil or pyrolytic oil generated from the fast pyrolysis of biomass and wastes may have several potential applications, such as those related to the production of high value-added chemicals and substitutes of petroleum-based sources for a wide range of fuels [3]
The results obtained in this study show that ketones have a markedly higher relative content and furans a significant decrease with respect to the values obtained in the thermal pyrolysis
The HZSM-5 zeolite is a suitable zeolite for the deoxygenation of the volatiles generated in the pyrolysis of date palm seeds (DPS) biomass
Summary
Biomass is a renewable energy source, which may be used to replace fossil fuels, and so meet the increasing energy demand. Pyrolysis of biomass is an interesting option to manage forestry and agricultural wastes and, at the same time, obtain products with a high potential application for energy production or source of value-added chemicals contained in the gaseous and/or liquid bio-oil fraction [1, 2]. The bio-oil or pyrolytic oil generated from the fast pyrolysis of biomass and wastes may have several potential applications, such as those related to the production of high value-added chemicals and substitutes of petroleum-based sources for a wide range of fuels [3]. The use of a catalyst generally enhances the targeted reactions; reduces the reaction time and temperature; improves the liquid oil quality by removing oxygen via certain reactions, such as dehydration (removing oxygen as H 2O), decarboxylation (removing oxygen as C O2), and decarbonylation (removing oxygen as CO) [4, 5]; and increases the overall process efficiency [6]. The surface area, acidity, and pore size and volume are the key features of any catalyst affecting the pyrolysis process [7]
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