Recent advances in heterogeneous catalysts for bio-oil upgrading via “ex situ catalytic fast pyrolysis”: catalyst development through the study of model compounds

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Carbazole hydrodenitrogenation over nickel phosphide and Ni-rich bimetallic phosphide catalysts

Bio-oil derived from fast pyrolysis of bio-mass is becoming a more viable option for addressing the growing demand for oil while being more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels. However, bio-oils have poor chemical stability and high acidity due to their high oxygen content. Metal phosphides such as ruthenium phosphide (Ru2P) have been investigated by the Bussell group to catalytically upgrade compounds contained in bio-oil, but further optimization is required before their commercial viability can be accessed. In current research, less expensive, more abundant metals (Co or Ni) are being used to replace some of the ruthenium, which is both expensive and rare. Cobalt-ruthenium phosphides (CoxRu2-xP, 0 ≤ x ≤ 2) and nickel-ruthenium phosphides (NixRu2xP, 0 ≤ x ≤ 2) supported on silica at a fixed P/M molar ratio (M = Co + Ru or Ni + Ru) of 0.72 were prepared from hypophosphite-based precursors and their properties for furan deoxygenation were investigated. The deoxygenation properties of the Co-Ru and Ni-Ru phosphides were compared with those of Co-Ru/SiO2 and Ni-Ru/SiO2 catalysts having the same metal composition as well as an industrial Co-Mo/Al2O3 hydrotreating catalyst. The deoxygenation activities were observed to be strongly influenced by the metal content of the catalysts with the highest activity observed for Mrich MxRu2-xP/SiO2 catalysts, suggesting a synergistic effect as their deoxygenation activities were significantly higher than either Ru2P/SiO2 or M2P/SiO2. The product selectivities of the metal phosphide (e.g. Co1.00Ru1.00P/SiO2) and metal catalysts (e.g. Co1.00Ru1.00/SiO2) differed significantly. The metal phosphides showed a much higher selectivity for C3 hydrocarbons, while the metal catalysts showed high selectivity towards methane. The observed trends in deoxygenation activity and selectivity of the metal phosphide catalysts will be discussed.

Accelerating catalyst development for biofuel production through multiscale catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass over Mo2C

Spray pyrolysis synthesis of γ-Al2O3 supported metal and metal phosphide catalysts and their activity in the hydrodeoxygenation of a bio-oil model compound

Catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass over zeolites for high quality bio-oil – A review

CaMoO4-enhanced Ni-CaO bifunctional catalyst for biomass pyrolysis to produce hydrogen-rich gas

The increasing demand for sustainable energy sources has driven significant advancements in the field of bio‐oil production. This article scrutinizes catalytic pyrolysis for its ability to improve bio‐oil characteristics through the use of catalysts and optimization of process conditions. Critical parameters such as reaction temperature, heating rate, biomass feedstock, and catalyst type are analyzed for their influence on bio‐oil properties. Innovations in catalyst design, including the development of hierarchical zeolites, metal oxides, and bifunctional catalysts, are explored for their efficacy in deoxygenation, minimizing coke formation, and stabilizing bio‐oil. Additionally, advanced techniques like catalytic plasma pyrolysis and co‐pyrolysis with diverse feedstocks are investigated to further enhance bio‐oil quality. The techno‐economic analysis is conducted to assess the feasibility of these novel techniques, considering fixed and variable costs, and the market potential of the produced bio‐oil. This analysis aims to provide a holistic perspective on the economic viability and scalability of catalytic pyrolysis for bio‐oil production. This research contributes to the very recent advancement of bio‐oil production technologies, offering insights into optimizing process parameters and catalyst innovations. The findings facilitate more efficient and economically viable bio‐oil production methods, supporting the transition to renewable energy sources.

Catalytic pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass for bio-oil production: A review

Catalytic pyrolysis of wind turbine blades waste for plasticizers recovery and its life cycle assessment.

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) to fuels and chemicals provides a promising solution for renewable energy storage and utilization. Among the many possible reaction pathways, CO2 conversion to carbon monoxide (CO) is the first step in the synthesis of more complex carbon-based fuels and feedstocks, and holds great significance for the chemical industry. Herein, recent advances in heterogeneous catalysts for selective CO evolution from electrochemical reduction of CO2 are described. With Au catalysts as a paradigm, principles for catalyst design including size, morphology, and grain boundary densities tuning, surface modifications, as well as metal-support interaction are comprehensively summarized, which shed light on the development of other transition metal catalysts targeting efficient CO2 -to-CO conversion. In addition, recently emerged novel materials including transition metal single-atom catalysts, which present significantly different catalytic behaviors compared to their bulk counterparts and thus open up many unexpected opportunities, are summarized. Furthermore, the technical aspects with respect to large-scale production of CO are presented, focusing on the full-cell design and implementation. Finally, short comments related to the future direction of real-word CO2 electrolysis for CO supply are provided in terms of catalyst optimization and technical breakthrough.

Recent advances in heterogeneous catalysts for the effective electroreduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide

ACS Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution: Mark E. Bussell Sponsor: Research Corporation for Science Advancement Citation: For outstanding accomplishments in the development of metal carbide, nitride, and phosphide catalysts for heteroatom removal reactions and for the involvement of undergraduate students in research Current position: Professor of chemistry, Western Washington University Education: BA, chemistry, Reed College; PhD, chemistry, University of California, Berkeley Bussell on a memorable project: “It was contributing to the development of oxide-supported nickel phosphide catalysts. These catalysts exhibit promising properties for a broad range of reactions. Undergraduate students played key roles in advancing this research and are first authors on some of our most highly cited papers in this area.” What Bussell’s colleagues say: “Mark’s enthusiasm for undergraduate research has been a catalyst for the transformation of Western Washington University from a teaching school, when he joined the faculty, to one where undergraduate research is an

Recent advances on industrial solid waste catalysts for improving the quality of bio-oil from biomass catalytic cracking: A review

Biomass pyrolysis in a circulating fluid bed reactor for the production of fuels and chemicals