Fast pyrolysis of cassava rhizome in the presence of catalysts

Cassava rhizome was catalytically pyrolysed at 500 °C using analytical pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) in order to investigate the effect of catalysts on bio-oil properties. The catalysts studied were zeolite ZSM-5, two aluminosilicate mesoporous materials Al-MCM-41 and Al-MSU-F, and a proprietary commercial catalyst alumina-stabilised ceria MI-575. The influence of catalysts on pyrolysis products was observed through the yields of aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, lignin-derived compounds, carbonyls, methanol and acetic acid. Results showed that all the catalysts produced aromatic hydrocarbons and reduced oxygenated lignin derivatives, thus indicating an improvement of bio-oil heating value and viscosity. Among the catalysts, ZSM-5 was the most active to all the changes in pyrolysis products. In addition, all the catalysts with the exception of MI-575 enhanced the formation of acetic acid. This is clearly a disadvantage with respect to the level of pH in the liquid bio-fuel.

[1]  I. Vasalos,et al.  Catalyst Evaluation for Catalytic Biomass Pyrolysis , 2000 .

[2]  Paul T. Williams,et al.  Premium quality fuels and chemicals from the fluidised bed pyrolysis of biomass with zeolite catalyst upgrading , 1994 .

[3]  Johan E. Hustad,et al.  In situ catalytic upgrading of biomass derived fast pyrolysis vapours in a fixed bed reactor using mesoporous materials , 2006 .

[4]  Johan E. Hustad,et al.  Pyrolysis of biomass in the presence of Al-MCM-41 type catalysts , 2005 .

[5]  Paul T. Williams,et al.  Characterisation of oils from the fluidised bed pyrolysis of biomass with zeolite catalyst upgrading , 1994 .

[6]  D. Meier,et al.  Thermal degradation products of wood , 1991, Holz als Roh- und Werkstoff.

[7]  Angelos A. Lappas,et al.  Evaluation of various types of Al-MCM-41 materials as catalysts in biomass pyrolysis for the production of bio-fuels and chemicals , 2006 .

[8]  Paul T. Williams,et al.  The influence of catalyst type on the composition of upgraded biomass pyrolysis oils , 1995 .

[9]  A. Krause,et al.  A novel test method for cracking catalysts , 1998 .

[10]  D. Meier,et al.  Discrimination of genetically modified poplar clones by analytical pyrolysis–gas chromatography and principal component analysis , 2005 .

[11]  Dietrich Meier,et al.  Characterization of the water-insoluble fraction from pyrolysis oil (pyrolytic lignin). Part I. PY–GC/MS, FTIR, and functional groups , 2001 .

[12]  Paul T. Williams,et al.  Analysis of aromatic hydrocarbons in pyrolytic oil derived from biomass , 1995 .

[13]  D. Meier,et al.  Thermal degradation products of wood , 1990, Holz als Roh- und Werkstoff.

[14]  J. Bilbao,et al.  Kinetic description of the catalytic pyrolysis of biomass in a conical spouted bed reactor , 2005 .

[15]  A. Krause,et al.  Zirconia: Selective oxidation catalyst for removal of tar and ammonia from biomass gasification gas , 2006 .

[16]  Paul T. Williams,et al.  Comparison of products from the pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of rice husks , 2000 .

[17]  A. Oasmaa,et al.  Fast Pyrolysis of Forestry Residue. 3. Storage Stability of Liquid Fuel , 2003 .

[18]  Christelle Absalon,et al.  Pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of Quercus sp. wood: Application to structural elucidation of macromolecules and aromatic profiles of different species , 2006 .

[19]  D. Meier,et al.  Thermal degradation products of wood , 1990, Holz als Roh- und Werkstoff.

[20]  Paul T. Williams,et al.  Upgrading of biomass-derived pyrolytic vapours over zeolite ZSM-5 catalyst: effect of catalyst dilution on product yields , 1996 .

[21]  Paul T. Williams,et al.  Catalytic coprocessing of biomass-derived pyrolysis vapours and methanol , 1995 .

[22]  James P. Diebold,et al.  Additives To Lower and Stabilize the Viscosity of Pyrolysis Oils during Storage , 1997 .

[23]  K. Kuroda,et al.  Evaluation of chemical composition of the core and bast lignins of variety Chinpi-3 kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) by pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and cupric oxide oxidation☆ , 2005 .

[24]  A. Krause,et al.  Catalytic conversion of biomass pyrolysis vapours with zinc oxide , 2000 .

[25]  Spyros Voutetakis,et al.  Biomass pyrolysis in a circulating fluid bed reactor for the production of fuels and chemicals , 2002 .

[26]  A. Bridgwater,et al.  Overview of Applications of Biomass Fast Pyrolysis Oil , 2004 .

[27]  M. Arias,et al.  Pyrolysis/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry as a useful technique to evaluate the ligninolytic action of streptomycetes on wheat straw , 2001 .