Phenols Production from Online Catalytic Conversion of Corn Stalk Pyrolysis Vapors using Char in-situ

Abstract

Char in-situ (charis) obtained from corn stalk pyrolysis was evaluated as a catalyst to upgrade corn stalk pyrolysis vapors. A catalyst evaluation device was introduced to conduct the experiments. The effects of reaction temperature and charis dose on catalytic performances in biomass pyrolysis were evaluated. The results showed that the char in-situ had a remarkable effect on the pyrolysis products. Under the action of charis, the primary compounds of pyrolysis vapors were catalytically converted into phenolic products, such as phenol and 4-ethyl-phenol, while the acetic acid content was evidently reduced. The product selectivity was not dependent on the polar functional groups on the charis’s surface according to the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results, but might have been dependent on the mesoporous structure and the basicity sites of the charis as well as the metallic species in the charis. A possible reaction mechanism for phenols production and acetic acid inhibition was proposed.