Abstract
Pyrolysis of kapok fibers over mesoporous molecular sieves of MCM-41, Zr-MCM-41 and Cr-MCM-41 (the mole ratio of Si:Zr or Si/Cr=50) was studied by using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Pure silicon MCM-41 showed weak acidity during pyrolysis with furfural as the main product. Zr-MCM-41 showed the dual-functionality of acid and base with both furfural and hydroxy acetone present in the products. Cr-MCM-41 was more acidic with more furfural produced. The optimal conditions for producing olefins were found to be 600°C and the ratio of kapok fiber to catalyst being 1:10 with the Zr-MCM-41 catalyst. The main products obtained via pyrolysis of kapok fiber were acetic acid, furfural, 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, olefins, and alkanes. The excess of the catalyst and the high temperature of the reaction had certain effects on the pyrolysis of biomass to produce olefins, such as 1-decene, 1-dodecene, 1-undecene, 1-tridecene and heptadecane. Citation: Qiu, Q., Cai, Y., Ye, Q., and Lv, W. (2019). Catalytic Pyrolysis of Kapok Fiber for Production of Olefins. Trends in Renewable Energy, 5, 218-228. DOI: 10.17737/tre.2019.5.2.0097
Highlights
Energy sources are closely related to the country's political stability and economic development, and the motivating power for the economic growth and the national progress [1]
Catalytic pyrolysis was conducted with Zr-MCM-41 at the feedstock to a catalyst ratio (R) of 1:2 and 2:1 at the pyrolysis temperature of 600°C
Catalytic pyrolysis of kapok fibers was investigated with various MCM-41 catalysts, the feedstock to catalyst ratios, and the reaction temperatures
Summary
Energy sources are closely related to the country's political stability and economic development, and the motivating power for the economic growth and the national progress [1]. The Earth has a large amount of fossil energy, namely coal, oil and natural gas, and a large amount of renewable clean energy such as hydropower, wind and sunlight. The traditional fossil fuels greatly promoted the development of human society. The resultant greenhouse effect, global warming, environmental pollution, and other issues seriously threaten the survival and the development of human beings. Due to these concerns, scientists have raised interest in renewable energy. In the past few decades, researchers have been dedicated for exploring and developing new renewable energy sources, including the solar energy, wind energy, hydropower generation, biomass energy, geothermal energy, and the ocean energy [3]. The biomass energy (i.e., bioenergy), accounting for 14% of the world's total primary energy consumption, is
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