Tar removal in pine pyrolysis catalyzed by bio-char supported nickel catalyst

Abstract

Researching tar removal techniques is necessary because tar blocks and corrodes pipes and equipment used in the pyrolysis and gasification of biomass. Bio-char produced from the pyrolysis of biomass has been extensively utilized as support. In this research, Ni/PWC (PWC: pine wood pyrolysis char) and Ni/PWA (PWA: pine wood activated char) were prepared for tar removal using an impregnating approach. A two-stage reaction system that includes pyrolysis and catalytic reforming was established. The results disclosed that each catalyst's ability to remove tar was ranked as follows: PWC < PWA < Ni/PWC < Ni/PWA. The amounts of phenolic compounds and PAHs were greatly reduced when Ni/PWA was used as the catalyst. The yield of non-condensing gas was 1.22 L/g biomass, and tar removal rate raised to 92.6 wt %. The main non-condensing gases are H2 and CO, which have concentrations of 52.8 vol % and 41.9 vol %, respectively. Additionally, the CO2 concentration falls, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The highest tar removal rate is achieved when the catalytic reforming temperature is 750 ℃.