Catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose using ZnZrO/HZSM-5 catalysts for light aromatics

ABSTRACT

The HZSM-5 catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose to aromatics is one of the effective ways to realize its high-value utilization. However, HZSM-5 has strong acidity, and its microporous structure leads to low mass transfer of reactants and products. The ZnZrO/HZSM-5 catalysts with adjustable pore structure and acidity were developed for efficient conversion of cellulose to aromatics. Their physicochemical properties were characterized by XRD, N₂ adsorption, SEM and NH₃-TPD and their performance was studied. As the ratio of ZnZrO increases from 0 to 1, the pore size increased from 1.98 nm to 6.77 nm. When the ZnZrO ratio was 0–0.25, the Bronsted acid sites decreased, and the difference was not significant at 0.25–0.375. When the ZnZrO ratio is 0.375–1, the Bronsted acid sites continued to decrease. The random repeated exposure of cellulose cracking gas in ZnZrO and HZSM-5 made more opportunities for aromatization and cracking. ZnZrO-0.125 showed the performance. The yield of BTEX was 83.15%, and the selectivity was 95.15%. Compared with the traditional HZSM-5, the yield increased by 5.7% and the selectivity increased by 11.38%.

KEYWORDS:

• Cellulose
• light aromatics
• ZnZrO/HZSM-5
• pyrolysis
• catalysis

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully thank the support for this research from National Natural Science of China (No. 51976112).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [51976112]; Special Project Fund of “Taishan Scholar” of Shandong Province [tsqn202103066]; Zibo Key R & D Project [2019ZBXC300]; Youth Innovation Support Program of Shandong Colleges and Universities [2019KJD013]

Notes on contributors

Kaiwei Sun

Kaiwei Sun is a master's degree in agricultural engineering from Shandong University of Technology, China. She is engaged in research on catalytic conversion and utilization of biomass.

Yongjun Li

Yongjun Li is a researcher at Shandong University of Technology. He has conducted extensive research on efficient conversion and resource utilization of biomass, as well as organic solid waste heating and power generation technology, promoting the theoretical and technological progress of biomass energy conversion. His main research interests are catalytic upgrading of biomass, and biomass energy for hydrogen production.

Tianyang Guo

Tianyang Guo is a master's degree in agricultural engineering from Shandong University of Technology, China. He is engaged in research on catalytic conversion and utilization of biomass.

Zhiyu Li

Zhiyu Li is a professor at Shandong University of Technology, China. He spent 2021 as a visiting scholar with the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on the efficient conversion of agricultural waste.

Meiqin Cui

Meiqin Cui is a master's degree in agricultural engineering from Shandong University of Technology, China. She is engaged in research on catalytic conversion and utilization of biomass.

Bo Zhang

Bo Zhang is a master's degree in agricultural engineering from Shandong University of Technology, China. He is engaged in research on catalytic conversion and utilization of biomass.

Huayang Han

Huayang Han is studying at College of Agriculture and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, China. His research interests include biomass utilization and renewable energy.

Xingli Zhang

Xingli Zhang is studying at College of Agriculture and Food Science, Shandong University of Technology, China. His research interests include biomass utilization and renewable energy.

Peng Fu

Peng Fu is a professor at Shandong University of Technology, China. He has been working on the theory and methods of thermal conversion of biomass to produce oil and gas fuels for a long time. His achievements have innovated the theory and method system of biomass thermal conversion directed conversion to fuel, promoted the theoretical and technological progress of biomass energization, and positively contributed to developing a new biomass energy industry and constructing a clean and low-carbon energy system.