Open AccessCatalytic hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of biomass for bio-crude production using Ni/HZSM-5 catalysts
Author(s) -
Shouyun Cheng,
Lin Wei,
Mustafa Radhi Alsowij,
Fletcher Corbin,
E. Boakye,
Zhengrong Gu,
Douglas E. Raynie
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
aims environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2372-0352
pISSN - 2372-0344
DOI - 10.3934/environsci.2017.3.417
Subject(s) - hydrothermal liquefaction , catalysis , chemistry , hydrodeoxygenation , bifunctional , liquefaction , hydrolysis , biomass (ecology) , yield (engineering) , biorefining , organic chemistry , biorefinery , materials science , selectivity , metallurgy , agronomy , raw material , biology
Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is an effective method that can convert biomass into bio-crude, but direct use of bio-crude derived from biomass HTL remains a challenge due to the lower quality. In this study, bifunctional Ni/HZSM-5 catalysts and zinc hydrolysis were combined to produce upgraded bio-crude in an in-situ HTL process. The K2CO3 and HZSM-5 catalysts with different Ni loading ratios were tested. The effects of different catalysts on the yield and quality of bio-crude and gas were investigated. The results indicated that the catalysts improved bio-crude and gas yields, compared to pine sawdust liquefaction without catalyst. The catalysts reduced the contents of undesirable oxygenated compounds such as acids, ketones, phenols, alcohols and esters in bio-crude products while increased desirable hydrocarbons content. K2CO3 produced highest bio-crude yield and lowest solid residue yield among all catalysts. Compared to parent HZSM-5 catalyst, bifunctional Ni/HZSM-5 catalysts exhibited higher catalyst activity to improve quality of upgraded bio-crude due to its integration of cracking and hydrodeoxygenation reactions. 6%Ni/HZSM-5 catalyst produced the bio-crude with the highest hydrocarbons content at 11.02%. This catalyst can be a candidate for bio-crude production from biomass HTL