Catalytic conversion of coal pyrolysis vapors to light aromatics over hierarchical Y-type zeolites

A series of hierarchical Y-type zeolites were prepared by a post-treatment method. All the samples were characterized using nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD). The results show that hierarchical Y-type zeolites with different porosities can be obtained, and the mesopore size can be controlled by changing the treatment conditions. The acidity of catalysts was also adjusted in this process. The catalysts were evaluated with respect to catalytic conversion of coal pyrolysis vapors to light aromatics online by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Moreover, several model compounds were selected to evaluate the formation pathway of light aromatics during the upgrading of coal pyrolysis vapors over Y-type zeolite. It was found that pore-structure-modified Y-type zeolite has good catalytic performance for the upgrading of coal pyrolysis vapors. After catalytic cracking by EDY zeolites, the total amount of light aromatics such as benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, xylene, and naphthalene (BTEXN) in coal pyrolysis vapors increased from 5600 ng/mg (raw coal pyrolysis) to 18,800 ng/mg. The results of model compound catalytic pyrolysis show that Y-type zeolite is beneficial for the catalytic cracking of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the breaking of phenolic hydroxyl, and the decomposition of heterocyclic compounds, thus promoting the formation of BTEXN. Hierarchical catalysts with wide pore size and large mesopore volume contribute to the diffusion of bulky reactants and their contact with active sites in channels, further promoting the generation of light aromatics.     

Tungstophosphoric acid incorporated hierarchical HZSM-5 catalysts for direct synthesis of dimethyl ether

HZSM-5 zeolites are active materials in dimethyl ether (DME) production with high surface acidity. In this study, hierarchical HZSM-5 catalysts were synthesized with steam-assisted crystallization (SAC) method and then in order to increase its surface acidity, TPA was loaded into the HZSM-5 catalyst having various mass ratios (5, 10, 25%) by wet impregnation method. Synthesized catalysts were characterized by N₂ physisorption (BET analysis), X-Ray diffraction and pyridine adsorbed diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy techniques. Characterization analysis of tungstophosphoric acid (TPA) impregnated catalysts indicated that hierarchical HZSM-5 possesses mesoporous structures. The average pore size distribution of TPA impregnated HZSM-5 catalysts were between 17 and 20 nm. TPA impregnation promoted Brønsted acid sites of the catalyst, which favors methanol dehydration reaction. Activity tests have been performed at reaction temperatures of 200–300 °C at 50 bar reaction pressure in the presence of admixed catalysts (physically mixed commercial HifuelR-120 and HZSM-5 based catalysts with a weight ratio of 1:1). Results revealed that the increase in the amount of heteropoly acid has enhanced DME selectivity and CO conversion. Maximum DME selectivity of 57% and CO conversion of 46% were achieved in the presence of the 25TPA@HZSM-5 catalyst at the optimum reaction temperature of 275 °C. TGA analysis result of spent catalysts presented the highest amount of coke over HZSM-5. TPA incorporation decreased coke formation due to suppression of the Lewis acid site, which is responsible for the coke formation.     

Catalytic fast pyrolysis of rice husk: Influence of commercial and synthesized microporous zeolites on deoxygenation of biomass pyrolysis vapors

Research on utilization of abundant rice residue for valuable bioenergy products is still not explored completely. A simple, robust, cheap, and one‐step fast pyrolysis reactor is still a key demand for production of bioenergy products, ie, high quality bio‐oil and biochar. Bio‐oil extracted from fast pyrolysis does not have adequate quality (eg, acidic and highly oxygenated). Catalytic fast pyrolysis using zeolites in the fast pyrolysis process effectively reduces the oxygen content (no H₂ required). In this paper, the zeolites with different pore sizes and shapes (small pore, SAPO‐34 (0.56) and ferrierite (30); medium pore, ZSM‐5 (30), MCM‐22 (30), and ITQ‐2 (30); and large pore zeolite, mordenite (30)) were tested in a drop‐type fixed‐bed pyrolyzer. Catalytic deoxygenation is conducted at 450°C at the catalyst/biomass ratio of 0.1. Zeolite catalysts, its pore size and shape, could influence largely on deoxygenation. It was found that the small pore zeolites did not produce aromatics as compared to higher amount of aromatics formed in case of medium pore zeolites. ZSM‐5 and ITQ‐2 zeolites were especially efficient for the higher deoxygenation of biomass pyrolysis vapors due to better pore dimension and higher acidity.     

Hydrocracking of Jatropha oil to aromatic compounds over the LaNiMo/ZSM-5 catalyst

The conversion of biomass to produce high-valued chemical aromatic intermediates such as benzene (B), toluene (T), ethylbenzene (E), xylene (X), naphthalene (N) has attached booming interests. Herein, in order to obtain BTEXN aromatics on the hydrocracking of Jatropha oil, several LaNiMo/ZSM-5 catalysts (La loading from 0.5 to 15 wt%) by alkali treatment and metal impregnation methods were synthesized and investigated. Fundamentally, we found the alkali treatment engendered more mesoporosity to ZSM-5 and resulted in higher catalytic activity. It bears emphasis that further metal impregnated catalyst NiMo/ZSM-5 could improve the aromatics yield due to the increase of metal active sites and acidity sites. Besides, we noted that La loading had positive effects on coke reduction, catalytic stability and catalyst lifetime. To sum up, results confirmed the favorable 1 wt% La–NiMo/ZSM-5 had maximum 75 wt% BTEXN yield, longer catalyst lifetime for 100 h and decreased carbon deposits by 1.11%.     

Catalytic Oligomerization of ethylene over nano-sized HZSM-5

The nano-sized HZSM-5 zeolites with different Si/Al ratios were pretreated, characterized, and tested in ethylene oligomerization performed in a fixed-bed reactor under relatively mild conditions. The effects of catalyst acidity and reaction temperature on the activity, selectivity and stability were investigated, and a possible reaction route of ethylene over acidic sites of nano-sized HZSM-5 catalyst was proposed. In comparison with micro-sized HZSM-5 zeolite, nano-sized HZSM-5 zeolites exhibited higher activity and better resistance to deactivation. Under optimal conditions (T = 275–300 °C, P = 3.0 MPa, WHSV = 1.0 h⁻¹), The average ethylene conversion was 62.5% over the nano-sized HZSM-5 with an Si/Al ratio of 80, while the selectivity to C₄₊ olefins and α-olefins was 64.3% and 13.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the products of ethylene oligomerization were a complex hydrocarbon mixture due to the acid-catalyzed secondary reactions, for which the distribution of even and odd numbered carbon atoms formed a continuous volcanic shape mainly centered on C₆–C₁₀. Furthermore, these tests demonstrate that the activity and selectivity of ethylene oligomerization depend on the operating conditions and the acidity of the catalysts. These results indicate that the Brønsted acid sites may be mainly responsible for secondary reactions and deactivation of the catalyst, whereas the Lewis acid sites may be more advantageous for ethylene oligomerization.     

Preparation of bio-oil derived from catalytic upgrading of biomass vacuum pyrolysis vapor over metal-loaded HZSM-5 zeolites

The Fe-, Co-, Cu-loaded HZSM-5 zeolites were prepared via impregnation method. The upgrading by catalyst on biomass pyrolysis vapors was conducted over modified zeolites to investigate their catalytic upgrading performance and anti-coking performance. The Brønsted acid sites amount on Cu-,Co-loaded HZSM-5 decreased sharply, while that of Lewis both increased. The yield of liquid fraction and refined bio-oil over metal loaded ZSM-5 catalysts decreased, while that of char almost kept constant. The physical property of refined bio-oil was promoted in terms of pH value, dynamic viscosity and higher heating value (HHV). FT-IR analysis revealed that the chemical structure of refined bio-oil obtained over Fe-, Co-, Cu-loaded HZSM-5 zeolites was highly similar. The yield of monocyclic aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbon over Fe-,Co-loaded HZSM-5 were boosted by around 2.5 times compared with original ZSM-5 zeolites. Data analysis revealed that Cu/HZSM-5 presented the worst deoxygenation ability. The anti-coking capability of Fe/HZSM-5 was obviously better, i.e., the coke content showed an approximate decrease of 38%. Thus, this study provided an efficient Fe/HZSM-5 catalysts for preparation of bio-oil derived from catalytic upgrading of biomass pyrolysis vapor.     

Effect of Brønsted acid of Y zeolite on light arene formation during catalytic upgrading of coal pyrolysis gaseous tar

Catalytic upgrading of coal pyrolysis gaseous tar is one of the promising techniques for the efficient conversion and utilization of tar. The heavy arene in tar can effectively convert into light arene, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and naphthalene (BTEXN). Therefore, a series of acid modified Y-type zeolites were prepared by ammonium exchange method, and the effect of Brønsted acid in zeolite and coal rank on the distribution of tar was investigated in this study. The XRD, N₂ adsorption, and pyridine-FTIR analysis results show that the structure of the acid-modified zeolite has not changed, but the content of the medium Brønsted acid changed significantly. The yield of BTEXN produced in the catalytic upgrading of three different rank coal pyrolysis gaseous tar (one is lignite, the other two are bituminous coal) is up to 3.2 times, 2.8 times and 1.7 times that of the raw coal pyrolysis, respectively. The increase in the acidity of medium Brønsted acid greatly contributes to the conversion of heavy arene to BTEXN. For different coal samples, the performance of the catalyst is closely related to its Brønsted acid amount and Brønsted/Lewis ratio. And the textural properties of the zeolite also have an important influence on its catalytic performance.     

Comprehensive research of in situ upgrading of sawdust fast pyrolysis vapors over HZSM-5 catalyst for producing renewable light aromatics

Catalytic fast pyrolysis of sawdust was investigated over HZSM-5 zeolites (SiO₂/Al₂O₃ = 25, 50 and 80) in a drop tube quartz reactor for production of green aromatics and olefins. The effects of temperature, weight hourly space velocity (WHSV), SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio and atmosphere on yield and selectivity of aromatics were investigated. The results show that almost all small organic oxygen species in initial volatiles were converted into gaseous hydrocarbons and aromatics after in situ catalysis of HZSM-5. HZSM-5 whose SiO₂/Al₂O₃ is 25 exhibited the best performance with the aromatics yield of 21.8% on carbon basis at 500 °C. However, HZSM-5 can act as cracking and aromatization catalyst, but not as an agent to promote hydrogenation. The ESI-MS revealed the most abundant macromolecular compounds in initial volatiles were O₁O₂₇ species with 0–20 double bond equivalent (DBE) values and 5–40 carbon numbers, while the macromolecules were O₁O₉ species with 2–12 DBE and 10–25 carbon numbers after upgrading. Furthermore, the formation of coke on catalysts was influenced by the properties of HZSM-5 and experimental conditions.     

Catalytic conversion of particle board over microporous catalysts

Catalytic pyrolysis of particle board, a type of waste wood that is increasingly produced all over the world, was carried out over three types of zeolite catalysts: HBETA, HZSM-5, and Ga-impregnated HZSM-5 (Ga/HZSM-5). Experiments conducted using a batch reactor showed that the bio-oil yield and gas yield in catalytic pyrolysis were lower and higher than those in non-catalytic pyrolysis, respectively. Analysis of the bio-oil using pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) showed that the yields of high-value-added species such as aromatics and phenolics were increased to a large extent by catalytic upgrading, thus increasing the value of the product bio-oil. In particular, HZSM-5 exhibited high selectivity for aromatic compounds, and impregnation of Ga further increased the selectivity. HBETA could cause levoglucosans to decompose completely owing to its large pore size, resulting in increased yields of low-molecular-mass species.     

Sustainable nickel catalyst for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to H2-rich gas

The objective of this paper was to design sustainable nickel catalysts supported on selected fly ash based zeolites to thermal processing of lignocellulosic feedstock towards hydrogen-rich gas. Moreover, in order to increase its catalytic performance in the studied process the catalyst supported on the most promising fly ash based zeolite was modified by selected rare-earth and transition metals (La, Pr, Ce, Y, Gd, Zr). The performed measurements exhibited that incorporation of nickel into the structure of zeolite A modified by lanthanum resulted in the most effective production of H₂. The characterization of its physicochemical properties (XRD, TPR, SEM-EDS, TPD-NH₃, BET and TGA-DTA) suggested that large pore size, moderate acidity, increased reducibility of an active phase and higher resistance to coke formation are the main factors responsible for increased activity of this catalyst.     

Effect of n-hexane extraction on the formation of light aromatics from coal pyrolysis and catalytic upgrading

In order to investigate the effect of aliphatics in coal on the formation of light aromatics (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and naphthalene, called BTEXN) from coal pyrolysis and catalytic upgrading using on-line Py-GC/MS, n-hexane was used to extract Shengli lignite (SL) and Pingshuo bituminous coal (PS). The extracts of the two coals (SLE and PSE) were analyzed by GC × GC-MS. Results show that aliphatics account for 85% of SLE and 68% of PSE. It brings about that the total yields of BTEXN from SL residue and PS residue pyrolysis are decreased by 29% and 18% compared with raw coals. This is because the aliphatics could provide small-molecule free radicals to stabilize the light aromatic cracking fragments and promote the formation of BTEXN during pyrolysis. The amounts of the alkyl benzene series, phenols, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from pyrolysis gaseous tar are significantly increased after extraction and they will undergo catalytic cracking to form BTEXN over USY zeolite, resulting in that the total yield of BTEXN from residue is almost same as that from raw coal during catalytic upgrading.     

Ga改性HZSM-5分子筛催化2-甲基呋喃和甲醇制备芳香烃

采用等体积浸渍法在HZSM-5分子筛上引入Ga₂O₃，探究Ga改性HZSM-5分子筛对2-甲基呋喃（MF）和甲醇在固定床反应器中进行偶合反应的产物分布的影响。采用XRD、HTEM、BET和NH₃-TPD对催化剂的理化性质进行表征，结果显示，Ga的负载使得HZSM-5比表面积和孔容减小，改变了HZSM-5的酸类型及酸位强度分布。偶合反应结果表明，Ga的负载能够促进MF和甲醇的转化，Ga/HZSM-5不仅可以提高芳香烃的产率，而且提高了芳香烃产物中BTX的选择性。与HZSM-5相比，0.1%Ga/HZSM-5在反应温度为500℃、MF与甲醇摩尔比为1∶2、WHSV为2 h⁻¹反应条件下，使芳香烃产率从14.6%提高到23.7%，而BTX的选择性则从55.2%提高到67.8%。     

Biodiesel production by esterification of oleic acid over zeolite Y prepared from kaolin

Zeolite Y, with a Si/Al ratio 3.1, was prepared using Iraqi kaolin and tested as a catalyst in the liquid-phase esterification of oleic acid (a simulated free fatty acid frequently used as a model reaction for biodiesel production). XRD confirmed the presence of the characteristic faujasite structure of zeolite Y, and further analysis was conducted using BET adsorption, FTIR spectroscopy, XRF, DLS particle size and SEM. A range of experimental conditions were employed to study the reaction; alcohol/oleic acid molar ratio, temperature, and catalyst mass loading. The optimum conditions for the reaction were observed at 70 °C, 5 wt% catalyst loading and 6:1 ethanol to oleic acid molar ratio. The oleic acid conversion using the zeolite prepared from kaolin was 85% after 60 min, while the corresponding value for a commercial sample of HY zeolite was 76%. Our findings show that low Si/Al ratio zeolite Y is a suitable catalyst for esterification, which is in contrast to the widespread view of the unsuitability of zeolites, in general, for such applications.     

生物质催化热解的TG-FTIR研究

借助综合热分析仪和傅立叶红外联用技术(TG-FTIR),考察了HUSY、REY和HZSM-53种分子筛以及重油催化裂化催化剂MLC和馏分油催化裂解催化剂CIP对生物质催化热解的活性和选择性。研究结果表明,分子筛对生物质热解产物的脱氧活性顺序为:REY≈HUSY>HZSM-5,生成高辛烷值烃类的选择性顺序为:REY>HUSY≈HZSM-5;MLC催化剂和CIP催化剂都表现出较高的选择活性,前者的脱氧活性略高于后者;择形分子筛HZSM-5的引入对调整催化剂酸强度、提高催化转化选择性和抑制焦炭生成产生一定作用。     

Effect of zeolites on chitosan/zeolite hybrid membranes for direct methanol fuel cell

Zeolites including 3A, 4A, 5A, 13X, mordenite, and HZSM-5 were incorporated into chitosan (CS) matrix to fabricate the hybrid membranes for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). Due to the presence of hydrogen bonds between CS and zeolite, the hybrid membranes displayed desirable thermal and mechanical stabilities. Through free volume characteristics analysis by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) technique, it was found that incorporation of hydrophilic zeolites would increase the free volume cavity size whereas incorporation of hydrophobic zeolites would decrease the free volume cavity size. Through the investigations on water/methanol uptake, swelling, and methanol permeability, it was found that the membrane performance was highly dependent on the zeolite particle and pore size, content, and hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature. Based on the solution–diffusion mechanism, it was found that incorporation of hydrophobic zeolites increased the diffusion resistance of methanol and consequently decreased the methanol permeability, whereas incorporation of hydrophilic zeolites decreased the diffusion resistance of methanol and consequently increased the methanol permeability. Moreover, under the identical conditions, all the as-prepared membranes exhibited much lower methanol permeability than Nafion^® 117 while the proton conductivity of the membranes remained high enough for DMFC applications.     

Optimizing Ni–Ce/HZSM-5 catalysts for ex-situ conversion of pine wood pyrolytic vapours into light aromatics and phenolic compounds

The main objective of the present work is to investigate the influence of nickel to cerium ratio on hydrogen exchanged Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 (HZSM-5) towards the catalytic upgrading of pine derived oxygenated pyrolysis vapours into aromatic hydrocarbon and phenol in pyrolysis oil via ex-situ fixed bed reactor. The presence of CeO₂ could change electron density of Ni, promote the reduction of Ni species, accelerate the transfer of carbon species, and suppress the production of carbon deposits (17.53%–25.11%) compared with the parent HZSM-5 catalyst (28.95%); it also improved the hydrodeoxygenation ability of all xNiyCe/HZSM-5(nickel and cerium bimetal modified HZSM-5) catalysts, resulting increases in noncondensable gas content (from 31.46% to 52.99%–65.53%). Ni to Ce ratio of 1:1 and 1:2 produced highest aromatic hydrocarbon (32.14%) and phenols (55.51%) relative peak areas. The acid center of HZSM-5 and the metal acid center of the Ni:Ce = 1:1 catalyst obviously fine-tuned the formation of coke; and promoted hydrocarbon production. Moreover, high Ni content promoted alkylation of benzene at C6–C9 and increased C10⁺ PAHs relative peak area; high Ce content promoted the formation of olefin and Increasing the cleavage of C–O bonds and promoted hydrogenation or dehydrogenation, reduced polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and coke yield, and increased phenols and alkylphenols selectivity.     

Microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose for phenol-rich bio-oil production

The microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis (MACP) of cellulose was carried out using modified HZSM-5 catalysts for bio-oil production. The catalysts of Fe/HZSM-5, Ni/HZSM-5 and Fe–Ni/HZSM-5 were developed and characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The bio-oil was characterized by the Fourier transform infrared analyzer (FTIR) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Results showed that Fe/HZSM-5 enhanced the yields of bio-oil by 11.4% and decreased the coke by about 24% compared to HZSM-5 without modification. The saccharides in bio-oil disappeared and were totally converted into phenols and low molecular compounds with the catalysis of Fe–Ni/HZSM-5. Fe–Ni/HZSM-5 showed high selectivity of phenols (20.86%) in the bio-oil. It was a unique finding because usually phenols can only be obtained by the pyrolysis of lignin, not cellulose. The formation of phenols from MACP of cellulose was probably caused by the conversion of furans to aromatics in the pores of HZSM-5, and followed by further conversion of aromatics into phenols on the external surface of HZSM-5.     

Hydrothermal gasification of microalgae over nickel catalysts for production of hydrogen-rich fuel gas: Effect of zeolite supports

A series of Ni catalysts with different zeolites were prepared by wet impregnation method and used to catalyze supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of microalgae for production of hydrogen-rich fuel gas under conditions of 430 °C, 60 min, ρ_H₂O = 0.162 g/cm³, 2 g/g Ni/zeolites. Compared with noncatalytic SCWG, the presence of Ni/zeolite could increase the hydrogen gasification efficiency and carbon gasification efficiency by promoting water–gas shift and steam reforming reactions which are mainly affected by the amount of strong acid sites and Ni, respectively. The highest carbon gasification efficiency (CGE) and hydrogen gasification efficiency (HGE) of 23.61% and 23.55% were achieved with Ni/HY (Na₂O, 0.8%). The gaseous produced mainly consisted of H₂ and CO₂. The H₂ content in the gaseous products varied from 27.15 to 40.51% depending on the Ni/zeolites and increased with increasing the SiO₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio of HZSM-5, which is 2.3–3.6 times higher than that of produced without catalyst. The H₂ yield varied between 2.57 and 3.61 mmol/g depending on the Ni/zeolites and increased from 2.19 to 5.61 mmol/g with increasing the SiO₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio from 50:1 to 170:1, which is 3.6–7.8 times higher than that of produced without catalyst. Coke formation, surface area loss, and sintering of Ni could decrease the activity of the Ni/zeolites.     

Upgrading of a wood-derived oil over various catalysts

The upgrading of a bio-oil using a fixed bed micro-reactor operating at 1 atm, 3.6 WHSV and 330–410°C over various catalysts is reported. The catalysts used were HZSM-5, silicalite, H-mordenite, H-Y and silica-alumina. The yield of hydrocarbons as well as the extent of deoxygenation, coke formation and conversion of the non-volatile portion of the bio-oil were used as measures of catalyst performance. The maximum hydrocarbon yield when HZSM-5 was used occurred at 370°C and was 39.3 wt% of the bio-oil. For the other catalysts, the hydrocarbon yields increased with temperature and were up to 22.1 wt% for silicalite; 27.5 wt% for H-mordenite; 21.0 wt% for H-Y; and 26.2 wt% for silica-alumina at 410°C. The hydrocarbon selectivity with HZSM-5 and silicalite catalysts was mostly for gasoline range hydrocarbons (C₆ to C₁₂) and for H-mordenite and H-Y for kerosene range hydrocarbons (C₉ to C₁₅). The hydrocarbon fraction obtained with silica-alumina did not produce any defined distribution. The pore size, catalyst acidity and catalyst shape selectively affected the product distribution. The overall performance followed the order: HZSM-5 > H-mordenite > H/Y > silica-alumina, silicalite.     

Catalytic fast pyrolysis of waste pepper stems over HZSM-5

Catalytic fast pyrolysis over HZSM-5 of red pepper stems, a representative agricultural residue material in the southern area of South Korea, was carried out. The SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of the catalyst were 23 and 280. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to pyrolyze the pepper stem samples at 550 °C and directly analyze the product distribution. The main product species of the non-catalytic pyrolysis of pepper stems were phenolics, followed by oxygenates and acids. The production of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons was marginal. On the contrary, catalytic pyrolysis over HZSM-5 reduced the fractions of phenolics and acids significantly, while considerably increasing the fractions of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The catalytic activity of the HZSM-5 with a SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of 23 was much higher, owing to its much larger amount of strong Brønsted acid sites, than the one with a SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of 280. Conversion of carbohydrate via furans to aromatics over strong acid sites was observed, which was in good agreement with previous studies. This study suggests that the catalytic pyrolysis of lignin-rich biomass over acidic zeolite catalysts can be a promising method to produce valuable chemicals such as aromatic compounds.