Effect of pyrofoil composition on pyrolysis of lignin

Abstract

The effect of pyrofoil compositions was examined on pyrolysis of lignocellulosic materials. The pyrofoil, which is an alloy of 60% of nickel and 40% of iron (Ni–Fe) having a Curie-point temperature of 500 °C, was coated with different metals (gold, platinum and aluminium). Lignin model compounds, coniferyl alcohol and guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether, were pyrolyzed using Pyrofoil Ni–Fe and the metal-coated pyrofoils. The model compound product profiles were quite similar for Pyrofoil Ni–Fe and platinum. This close similarity suggests that lignin pyrolyses performed with Pyrofoil Ni–Fe and platinum, which is widely used as a heating source or a crucible because of the less catalytic effect, can be cross-referenced. Pyrolysis using the gold-coated Ni–Fe pyrofoil (G) produced a product profile greatly different from the other pyrofoils. Dihydroconiferaldehyde was a characteristic product of both the model compound pyrolysis experiments with Pyrofoil G. With the aid of Pyrofoil G, a Japanese cedar ( Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) wood also produced dihydroconiferaldehyde in an appreciable abundance.