Deoxygenation of Bio‐oil from Calcium‐Rich Paper‐Mill Waste

De‐inking sludge, an ash‐rich recycling paper solid waste, is generated in huge amounts. The catalytic deoxygenation potential of calcium‐based de‐inking sludge in co‐pyrolysis mode with wood and its neat thermal conversion to sustainable biofuels are investigated. Wood, de‐inking sludge, and their blends are processed in a thermocatalytic reforming (TCR) system. In the presence of de‐inking sludge, the oxygen content in the organic phase decreases and the bio‐oil calorific value improves as compared to the neat wood‐derived bio‐oil. The TCR processing of neat de‐inking sludge produces a bio‐oil with low oxygen content and higher calorific value.     

Effect of a Ni‐Based Catalyst on Bio‐Oil Upgrading under CO Atmosphere

A novel method of bio‐oil upgrading over Ni‐based catalysts under CO atmosphere and optimum conditions for a Ni/Cu/Zn/Al catalyst were determined. The oxygen content as well as the water content decreased significantly and the pH value of upgraded bio‐oil was higher than that of crude bio‐oil. The physical properties indicate that upgraded bio‐oil was more stable than crude bio‐oil.     

Catalytic Hydrogenation for Bio‐Oil Upgrading by a Supported NiMoB Amorphous Alloy

A method of ultrasound‐assisted reduction of a nickel‐ammonia complex with borohydride in aqueous solution was used to prepare NiMoB/MCM‐41 and NiMoB/SBA‐15 supported amorphous alloy catalysts. These catalysts were used to upgrade bio‐oil at mild temperatures ranging from 100 to 160 °C and recycling of these two supported catalysts and of unsupported NiMoB was carried out. Then, fresh and third time used catalysts were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectra, and transmission electron microscopy. Quantitative results were obtained from the analysis of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Through mild upgrading, 1‐hydroxy‐2‐propanone, furfural, and 2‐methoxy‐4‐vinylphenol in the bio‐oil were converted to relevant alcohols and saturated phenols. The conversion rates were 45.7, 71.5, and 57.1 %, respectively, when crude bio‐oil was upgraded using NiMoB/MCM‐41 at 160 °C. The two supported catalysts, especially NiMoB/MCM‐41, had smaller amorphous NiMoB particles and exhibited more uniform dispersion on mesoporous silica, leading to higher reaction activity and stability than unsupported NiMoB. Deactivation of these catalysts resulted from the reduction of Ni⁰, B⁰, and Mo⁴⁺ species on the surface, the transition from the amorphous to the crystalline state, particle agglomeration, and coke deposition on the surface.     

Steam Reforming of Bio‐Oil for Hydrogen Production: Effect of Ni‐Co Bimetallic Catalysts

Various Ni‐Co bimetallic catalysts were prepared by incorporating sol‐gel and wet impregnation methods. A laboratory‐scale fixed‐bed reactor was employed to investigate their effects on hydrogen production from steam reforming of bio‐oil. The catalyst causes the condensation reaction of bio‐oil, which generates coke and inhibits the formation of gas at temperatures of 250 °C and 350 °C. At 450 °C and above the transformation of bio‐oil is initiated and gaseous products are generated. The catalyst also can promote the generation of H₂ as well as the transformation of CO and CH₄ and plays an active role in steam reforming of bio‐oil or gaseous products from bio‐oil pyrolysis. The developed 3Ni9Co/Ce‐Zr‐O catalyst achieved maximum hydrogen yield and lowest coke formation rate and provided a better stability than a commercial Ni‐based catalyst.     

Aging and Thermal Stability of the Mixed Product of the Ether‐Soluble Fraction of Bio‐Oil and Bio‐Diesel

The storage and thermal stability of blends of the ether‐soluble fraction of bio‐oil (ES) and bio‐diesel are reported. Fuel properties such as viscosity, water content, acid number and average molecular weight of the ES/bio‐diesel blends were measured before and after aging. Compared to the aging properties of bio‐oil alone, very small changes in water content and viscosity were shown for the blends aged at 80 °C for 180 h. Chemical changes were characterized using gel permeation chromatography, showing a slight increase in the molecular weight over time. Further confirmation of the changes was provided through Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, thermal decomposition analysis using a thermogravimetric analyzer, proton assignment using proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and carbon assignment using carbon nuclear magnetic resonance. Overall, the study indicates that ES/bio‐diesel blends are stable as fuel under the conditions tested in this paper.     

Thermal and catalytic upgrading of a biomass‐derived oil in a dual reaction system

The thermal and catalytic upgrsding of bio‐oil to liquid fuels was studied at atmospheric pressure in a dual reactor system over HZSM‐5, silica‐alumina and a mixed catalyst containing HZSM‐5 and silica‐alumina. This bio‐oil was produced by the rapid thermal processing of the maple wood. In this work, the intent was to improve the catalyst life. Therefore, the first reactor containing no catalyst facilitated thermal cracking of blo‐oil whereas the second reactor containing the desired catalyst upgraded the thermally cracked products. The effects of process variables such as reaction temperature (350°C to 410°C), space velocity (1.8 to 7.2 h^?1) and catalyst type on the amounts and quality of organic liquid product (OLP) were investigated, In the case of HZSM‐5 catalyst, the yield of OLP was maximum at 27.2 wt% whereas the selectivity for aromatic hydrocarbons was maximum at 83 wt%. The selectivities towards aromatics and aliphatic hydrocarbons were highest for mixed and silica‐alumina catalysts, respectively. In all catalyst cases, maximum OLP was produced at an optimum reaction temperature of 370°C in both reactors, and at higher space velocity. The gaseous product consisted of CO and CO₂, and C₁‐C₆ hydrocarbons, which amounted to about 20 to 30 wt% of bio‐oil. The catalysts were deactivated due to coking and were regenerated to achieve their original activity.     

Bio‐oil from whole‐tree feedstock in resol‐type phenolic resins

Renewable chemicals are of growing importance in terms of opportunities for environmental concerns over fossil‐based chemicals. Lignocellulosic biomass can be converted into energy and chemicals via thermal and biological processes. Among all the transformation processes available, fast pyrolysis is the only one to produce a high yield of a liquid‐phase product called bio‐oil or pyrolysis oil. Bio‐oil is considered to be a promising substitute for phenol in phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin synthesis. In this work, bio‐based phenolic resins have been formulated, partially substituting phenol by bio‐oils from two Canadian whole‐tree species. The new resins are produced by replacing 25, 50, and 75% of phenol with bio‐oil for each species (three bioresins per species). The aim of this study is to synthesize renewable resins with competitive price and satisfactory quality. The results obtained have shown that substitution degree up to 50% provided reactivity and performance equal or superior to the pure PF resin. They also present a good storage stability, improved shear strength, and thermal stability comparable to the pure PF. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014 , 131, 40014.     

Catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction of D. tertiolecta for the production of bio‐oil over different acid/base catalysts

In this article, two acid catalysts (ZrO₂/SO₄^2? and HZSM‐5) and two base catalysts (MgO/MCM‐41 and KtB) were used in catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of Dunaliella tertiolecta (D. tertiolecta) for the production of bio‐oil. The results indicated that the acid/base property of the catalyst plays a crucial role in the catalytic HTL process, and the base catalyst is conducive to the improvement of conversion and bio‐oil yield. When KtB was used as the catalyst, the maximum conversion and bio‐oil yield was 94.84 and 49.09 wt %, respectively. The detailed compositional analysis of the bio‐oil was performed using thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, FT‐IR, and GC‐MS. The compositional analysis results showed that the introduction of catalyst is beneficial for reducing the fixed carbon content in the bio‐oil, and the structure of catalyst influences on the bio‐oil composition and boiling point distribution. Based on our results and previous studies, the probable catalytic HTL microalgae model over various catalysts can be described that the main chemical reactions include ketonization, decarboxylic, dehydration, ammonolysis, and so forth. with HZSM‐5 and MgO/MCM‐41 as the catalyst; the cyclodimerization, decomposition, Maillard reaction, and ketonization are the main reactions with ZrO₂/SO₄^2? as the catalyst; the dehydration, ammonolysis, Maillard reaction, and ketonization can occur with KtB as the catalyst. Therefore, a plausible reaction mechanism of the main chemical component in D. tertiolecta is proposed. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 1118–1128, 2015     

Thermogravimetry‐FTIR Analysis of Pyrolysis of Pyrolytic Lignin Extracted from Bio‐Oil

Pyrolytic lignin is attributed to the instability of bio‐oil but is a potential chemical material. To improve the stability and increase the economic viability of bio‐oil, high‐ and low‐molecular‐mass pyrolytic lignin (HMM and LMM) were obtained using solvent extraction. The microstructure of pyrolytic lignin was examined by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The dissimilar absorption intensities indicated the different content of corresponding functional groups in HMM and LMM. The pyrolysis behavior of HMM and LMM was studied by thermogravimetry coupled with FTIR. Obviously pyrolytic lignin undergoes three weight loss stages.     

Homogeneous Catalytic Hydrogenation of Bio‐Oil and Related Model Aldehydes with RuCl2(PPh3)3

A homogeneous RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ catalyst was prepared for the hydrogenation of bio‐oil to improve its stability and fuel quality. Experiments were first performed on three model aldehydes of acetaldehyde, furfural and vanillin selected to represent the linear aldehydes, oxygen heterocyclic aldehydes and aromatic aldehydes in bio‐oil. The results demonstrated the high hydrogenation capability of this homogeneous catalyst under mild conditions (55–90 °C, 1.3–3.3 MPa). The highest conversion of the three model aldehydes was over 90 %. Furfural and acetaldehyde were singly converted to furfuryl alcohol and ethanol after hydrogenation, while vanillin was mainly converted to vanillin alcohol, together with a small amount of 2‐methoxy‐4‐methylphenol and 2‐methoxyphenol. Further experiments were conducted on a bio‐oil fraction extracted by ethyl acetate and on the whole bio‐oil at 70 °C and 3.3 MPa. Most of the aldehydes were transformed to the corresponding alcohols, and some ketones and compounds with C–C double bond were converted to more stable compounds.     

蜡油催化裂化过程中的苯生成反应途径

以大庆减压蜡油（VGO）为原料,采用不同类型分子筛催化剂在小型固定流化床装置上考察了催化裂化过程中苯生成的两条重要途径——芳烃迁移和芳烃生成反应。在Y分子筛催化剂上,从芳烃迁移反应向芳烃生成反应的过渡大约发生在转化率30%附近,芳烃迁移和芳烃生成反应对苯生成的贡献分别约为36%和64%,原料中约5%的烷基苯会发生脱烷基反应生成苯。在ZSM-5分子筛催化剂上,从芳烃迁移反应向芳烃生成反应的过渡大约发生在转化率55%附近,芳烃迁移和芳烃生成反应对苯生成的贡献分别约为20%和80%,原料中约10%的烷基苯会发生脱烷基反应生成苯。通过芳烃生成反应产生的苯与汽油芳烃的比值基本维持一恒定值,而不随转化率变化,但该比值与催化剂的分子筛类型有关。大庆VGO在转化率75%左右会发生苯消耗反应。反应温度会对苯的生成产生影响。     

Optimization of a Mixed Additive and its Effect on Physicochemical Properties of Bio‐Oil

A final optimal mixed additive consisting of methanol, acetone, and ethyl acetate in specific proportions was obtained by one‐factor multi‐objective optimization of the Design‐Expert software and performed well in a verification experiment. The mixed additive of methanol and ethyl acetate was first prepared separately and then added to bio‐oil, followed by acetone. The viscosity of the additive/bio‐oil mixture was significantly lower than of the crude bio‐oil. Among all chemical compound groups in the bio‐oil, the content of phenols was the highest one. Chemical compounds in bio‐oil after aging had higher molecular mass weights than before. The addition of the final optimal mixed additive and the accelerated aging process could slightly change the intensity and positions of some absorption peaks.     

Renewably sourced phenolic resins from lignin bio‐oil

Traditional lignin pyrolysis generates a bio‐oil with a complex mixture of alkyl‐functionalized guaiacol and syringol monomers that have limited utility to completely replace phenol in resins. In this work, formate assisted fast pyrolysis (FAsP) of lignin yielded a bio‐oil consisting of alkylated phenol compounds, due to deoxyhydrogenation, that was used to synthesize phenol/formaldehyde resins. A solvent extraction method was developed to concentrate the phenolics in the extract to yield a phenol rich monomer mixture. Phenolic resins were synthesized using phenol (phenol resin), FAsP bio‐oil (oil resin), and an extract mimic (mimic resin) that was prepared to resemble the extract after further purification. All three phenolic sources could synthesize novolac resins with reactive sites remaining for subsequent resin curing. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis of the three resins revealed similar thermal and decomposition behavior of phenol and the mimic resins, while the oil resin was less stable. Resins were cured with hexamethylenetetramine and the mimic resin demonstrated improved curing energies compared to the oil resin. The adhesive strength of the mimic resin was found to be superior to that of the oil resins. These results confirmed that extracting a mixture of substituted aromatics from FAsP bio‐oil could synthesize resins with properties similar to those from phenol and improved over the parent bio‐oil. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44827.     

A Comparison of Steam Reforming of Two Model Bio‐Oil Fractions

Two model bio‐oil fractions were chosen as two different major classes of components present in bio‐oil. Steam reforming of the two fractions was carried out to investigate the gas product distributions and carbon deposition behavior. Higher H₂ yield and carbon conversion to the gaseous phase can be obtained at relatively low temperature (650 °C) for steam reforming of the light fraction. For steam reforming of the heavy fraction, a higher temperature (800 °C) is necessary to obtain higher H₂ yield and carbon conversion to the gaseous phase. At 800 °C, the heavy fraction requires a higher steam to carbon ratio (10) than that for the light fraction (7) to achieve efficient steam reforming. Based on the same carbon space velocity, for 10 h stream time, the drop of H₂ yield and carbon conversion to the gaseous phase in the steam reforming of the heavy fraction is more rapid than that of the light fraction. Carbon deposition in the steam reforming of the heavy fraction is much more severe than that of the light fraction, as determined by carbon content analysis and SEM detection.     

Production of bio‐crude from forestry waste by hydro‐liquefaction in sub‐/super‐critical methanol

Hydro‐liquefaction of a woody biomass (birch powder) in sub‐/super‐critical methanol without and with catalysts was investigated with an autoclave reactor at temperatures of 473–673 K and an initial pressure of hydrogen varying from 2.0 to 10.0 MPa. The liquid products were separated into water soluble oil and heavy oil (as bio‐crude) by extraction with water and acetone. Without catalyst, the yields of heavy oil and water soluble oil were in the ranges of 2.4–25.5 wt % and 1.2–17.0 wt %, respectively, depending strongly on reaction temperature, reaction time, and initial pressure of hydrogen. The optimum temperature for the production of heavy oil and water soluble oil was found to be at around 623 K, whereas a longer residence time and a lower initial H₂ pressure were found to be favorite conditions for the oil production. Addition of a basic catalyst, such as NaOH, K₂CO₃, and Rb₂CO₃, could significantly promote biomass conversion and increase yields of oily products in the treatments at temperatures less than 573 K. The yield of heavy oil attained about 30 wt % for the liquefaction operation in the presence of 5 wt % Rb₂CO₃ at 573 K and 2 MPa of H₂ for 60 min. The obtained heavy oil products consisted of a high concentration of phenol derivatives, esters, and benzene derivatives, and they also contained a higher concentration of carbon, a much lower concentration of oxygen, and a significantly increased heating value (>30 MJ/kg) when compared with the raw woody biomass. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009     

Aromatic Compounds from Lignin Liquefaction over ZSM‐5 Catalysts in Supercritical Ethanol

A systematic research about the liquefaction of alkali lignin in supercritical ethanol using ZSM‐5 zeolite catalysts is reported, which includes the synergistic effect of temperature, catalytic content, and reaction time on product yield and distribution. Fourier transform infrared and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry analysis were carried out to evaluate the compositions of bio‐oil and solid residue. Under moderate condition, maximum conversion and yield of bio‐oil were satisfactorily high. With the help of ZSM‐5 catalyst, lignin could be successfully converted into aromatic compounds.     

苯和苯酚直接催化羟基化反应研究新进展

叙述了苯直接催化羟基化反应制苯酚、苯酚直接催化羟基化反应制苯二酚的研究 开发的最新进展,介绍了不同氧化剂的试验情况,评述了各类多相催化剂的研究开发成 果。H2O2作为苯及苯酚羟基化反应的氧化剂,具有反应条件温和,产物选择性高,对环境 无害等特点,成为工业催化领域中由苯直接羟基化反应制苯酚、苯酚直接羟基化反应制 苯二酚的主导氧化剂,开发高效的多相催化剂是该绿色合成技术的技术关键。     

A novel silk fibroin‐supported iron catalyst for hydroxylation of phenol

The aim of this study was to explore the potential use of silk fibroin (SF) as a catalyst support material for phenol hydroxylation reactions. Iron‐substituted silk fibroin fibers were prepared using formic acid at room temperature and characterized using inductively coupled plasma atomic‐emission spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and optical microscopy. Measurement of an FTIR spectrum showed that the secondary structure was β‐structure before and after iron substitution. To evaluate the catalytic properties of prepared catalyst, phenol hydroxylation reaction was carried out using aqueous hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant. An excellent transformation of phenol into dihydroxybenzenes (catechol and hydroquinone) was achieved. Phenol conversions of 3.3%, 61.2%, and 80.3% were obtained at room temperature, 40 °C and 60 °C respectively. It was found that no further phenol conversion proceeded because catalysts became separated from the reaction system during the reaction. No significant leaching of the iron was detected. Catalyst could be reused several times without a significant change in activity. Parent silk fibroin fibers without iron were inactive. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Production of Xylenes from Toluene and 1,2,4‐Trimethylbenzene over ZSM‐5 and Mordenite Catalysts in a Fluidized‐Bed Reactor

The production of various xylenes from toluene, heavy aromatics such as 1,2,4‐trimethylbenzene (1,2,4‐TMB) and their mixture was investigated over H‐ZSM‐5 (H‐Z), H‐mordenite (H‐M) and a dual zeolitic catalyst comprising ZSM‐5 and mordenite (H‐ZM). The experiments were conducted in a riser‐simulator reactor under different operating conditions to study the effect of temperature, reaction time and feed composition on conversion and product yields. At 400 °C, the conversion of toluene over the three catalysts yielded mainly benzene and xylenes with maximum conversion at 25 % and a xylene yield of 12.5 wt % over the H‐M catalyst. The transformation of 1,2,4‐TMB doubled the conversion level and xylene yield and suppressed benzene formation. However, a considerable portion of the 1,2,4‐TMB feed was isomerized into 1,2,3‐TMB and 1,3,5‐TMB accompanied by the formation of tetramethylbenzenes (TeMBs). The conversion of an equimolar mixture of toluene and 1,2,4‐TMB over the three catalysts resulted in higher toluene conversion and double xylene yield in comparison with 1,2,4‐TMB alone. The advantage of using a dual zeolitic catalyst was observed at an equimolar feed of toluene and 1,2,4‐TMB, exhibiting maximum toluene conversion, higher xylene yield and the formation of lower levels of undesirable products.     

Thermochemical Processing of Miscanthus through Fluidized‐Bed Fast Pyrolysis: A Parametric Study

Thermochemical processing of agriculture waste not only provides surrogates for combustion fuel but also reduces the environmental issues of waste. Miscanthus has been viewed as one of the largest agriculture wastes in Taiwan and a proper process for turning Miscanthus into a valuable product has become a significant subject. Here, fluidized‐bed fast pyrolysis was applied to convert Miscanthus into bio‐oil, bio‐char, and pyrolytic gases as the products. The product distributions were examined depending on various reaction parameters such as reaction temperature, carrier gas flow rate, feedstock feeding rate, and feedstock size. The chemical compositions of the bio‐oil, bio‐char, and product gases were analyzed and the properties of the bio‐oil were also tested via standard methods. So far, bio‐oil derived from Miscanthus is unfavorable for application in combustion engines without further upgrading processes.