Continuous catalytic pyrolysis of oily sludge using U-shape reactor for producing saturates-enriched light oil

Continuous catalytic pyrolysis of oily sludge was carried out in a special U-shape reactor for producing saturates-enriched light oil. The sludge underwent thermal pyrolysis first and then catalytic pyrolysis. During the thermal pyrolysis, chain hydrocarbons were first cracked and further polymerized into aromatics. The effect of temperatures (400–800 °C) on the products was investigated and the maximum liquid yield (67.7%) was obtained at 500 °C. High temperature promoted polymerization, thus the distribution of aromatics in the liquid product was increased and was more concentrated in polyaromatics at 800 °C. In the catalytic upgrading stage, dolomite was used as catalyst and aromatics were adsorbed on it, either aggregated or decomposed. As a result, a light oil product with 57.0% saturates was obtained at the residence time of 8.9?s due to the conversion of aromatics and heavy hydrocarbons into light aliphatic hydrocarbons such as straight chain hydrocarbons. Compared with the oil phase in the raw sludge sample, the content of saturates was increased by 45.0% and that of the asphaltenes was reduced by 88.5%. Meanwhile, the inherent moisture in the oily sludge could participate in the steam reforming reaction, promoting the decomposition of aromatics and leading to an increase in the H₂ generation. Moreover, the release of H₂S was reduced from 0.132 to 0.005?mol per kg sludge and the sulfur content of the oil product was also decreased in the presence of dolomite. The deactivation of dolomite can be attributed to the carbonization of CaO and deposition of polyaromatic coke on the catalyst surface.     

K-Co-Mo/CNTs催化剂合成低碳醇性能研究

A series of carbon nanotubes-supported K-Co-Mo catalysts were prepared by a sol-gel method combined with incipient wetness impregnation.The catalyst structures were characterized by X-ray diffraction,N₂ adsorption-desorption,transmission electron microscopy and H₂-TPD,and its catalytic performance toward the synthesis of higher alcohols from syngas was investigated.The as-prepared catalyst particles had a low crystallization degree and high dispersion on the outer and inner surface of CNTs.The uniform mesoporous structure of CNTs increased the diffusion rate of reactants and products,thus promoting the reaction conversion.Furthermore,the incorporation of CNTs support led to a high capability of hydrogen absorption and spillover and promoted the formation of alkyl group,which served as the key intermediate for the alcohol formation and carbon chain growth.Benefiting from these characteristics,the CNTs supported Mo-based catalyst showed the excellent catalytic performance for the higher alcohols synthesis as compared to the unsupported catalyst and activated carbon supported catalyst.     

Matchstick-like carbon nanotube synthesis and structure

Matchstick-like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been synthesized by catalytic pyrolysis of thiophene, using a mixture of cobalt nitrate and calcium nitrate as a catalyst. The nanotubes thus grown are aligned, straight, and short, and have spherical heads at their tips. High resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results indicate that the spherical heads of the matchstick-like CNTs are crystalline Co₉S₈ nanoparticles and the CNTs have herringbone-type graphite structure. The effect of temperature on the formation of the matchstick-like CNTs has been investigated. A simple growth model is proposed to describe the growth process of the matchstick-like CNTs. PACS 81.05.Uw; 61.46 Fg; 81.15.Gh; 68.37.Hk; 68.37.Lp     

The synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by catalytic pyrolysis of the phenol-formaldehyde resins

A series of carbon nanomaterials, particularly multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT), are obtained as products from catalytic pyrolysis of the cross-linked phenol-formaldehyde resins with different ferrocene under inert atmosphere. The morphology and structure of the samples were evaluated by TEM and XRD techniques. CNTs morphology is dependent on the iron nanoparticles and their forms (Fe, Fe₃C) resulted from ferrocene decomposition. The amount of nanotubes increases with iron content released from ferrocene catalyst during the pyrolysis process. Fe₃C nanoparticles drive the nucleation and the growth of carbon nanotubes during the pyrolysis process. Long (up to microns) well-defined MWNTs with small defects, ropes and disordered carbon are representatives in the pyrolyzed resins composition.     

Synthesis of multi-wall carbon nanotubes by the pyrolysis of ethanol on Fe/MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves

Ordered hexagonal arrangement MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves were synthesized by the traditional hydrothermal method, and Fe-loaded MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves (Fe/MCM-41) were prepared by the wet impregnation method. Their mesoporous structures were testified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the N₂ physical adsorption technique. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method via the pyrolysis of ethanol at atmospheric pressure using Fe/MCM-41 as a catalytic template. The effect of different reaction temperatures ranging from 600 to 800 ^°C on the formation of CNTs was investigated. The resulting carbon materials were characterized by various physicochemical techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with an internal diameter of ca. 7.7 nm and an external diameter of ca. 16.9 nm were successfully obtained by the pyrolysis of ethanol at 800 ^°C utilizing Fe/MCM-41 as a catalytic template.     

真空热处理碳纳米管的储氢性能研究

研究了真空热处理对多壁碳纳米管(MWNTs)电化学储氢性能的影响.采用化学气相沉积法(CVD)制备碳纳米管，碳纳米管与LaNi₅储氢合金按质量比1∶10混合，制作成CNTs-LaNi₅电极.电解池采用三电极体系，6mol/L KOH为电解液，Ni(OH)₂为正极，Hg/HgO为参比电极.实验结果表明，在相同的充放电条件下，850℃时CNTs-LaNi₅电极的储氢性能最好，克容量最大为503.6mAh/g，相应的平台电压高达1.18V.从500—850℃随着温度升高，放电量有较大幅度的增加，但到950℃时放电量反而下降.由此可见，碳纳米管的热处理温度对碳纳米管的电化学储氢性能有着较大的影响. 关键词： 碳纳米管(CNTs) 储氢性能 5合金')" href="#">LaNi₅合金 化学气相沉积法(CVD法)     

HIGH-YIELD PRODUCTION OF MULTI-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES BY CATALYTIC DECOMPOSITION OF BENZENE VAPOR

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been synthesized on γ-Al₂O₃ supported unitary, binary or trinity metal (Fe, Co, Ni) catalysts with benzene as carbon source in the range of 600 to 810 ℃. The growth of CNTs was carried out in a fixed bed flow reactor and the quality of carbon deposits was characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The preparation was optimized and the high-yield production of CNTs has been achieved for three mixture catalysts with the yield of high-quality CNTs higher than 200% within 60 min, reaching a maximum of 278% for 1.51 mmol/g Fe-1.51 mmol/g Co/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst. This provides a good alternative for future large scale and low cost production of CNTs for applications.     

Detailed profiling of CNTs arrays along the growth window in a floating catalyst reactor

We report a detailed longitudinal and depth profiles of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) arrays synthesized using xylene and ferrocene in a floating catalyst reactor. Point to point analyses of the CNTs grown in a “growth window” with CNTs arrays longer than 0.5 mm were performed using optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, FESEM, high-resolution TGA/DTA, and TEM techniques. The heights of the CNTs arrays show a maximum at a mid point of the growth window, while a reverse trend of minimum is observed for iron-to-CNTs atomic ratios. The ratio of amorphous carbon to CNTs sharply increases along the growth window and from the bottom to top of CNTs arrays. The CNTs diameter also increases along the growth window, due to deposition of the amorphous carbon, which can be almost removed by temperature programmed oxidation up to around 500 °C. A base growth mechanism, the variations of catalyst content, residence time and temperature profile along the growth window, the adsorption and decomposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to amorphous carbon, and a limited diffusion of hydrocarbon species through the arrays covered by excessive amorphous carbon may explain the results.     

Acetic acid effects on enhancement of growth rate and reduction of amorphous carbon deposition on CNT arrays along a growth window in a floating catalyst reactor

The mm-long carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays were grown in a floating catalyst reactor, using xylene-ferrocene and a small amount of acetic acid as the feed. The CNT arrays deposited on a quartz substrate at several positions along the reactor were extensively characterized using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and optical microscopy. Various characterization methods consistently reveal that the acetic acid additive to the feed alleviates deposition of amorphous carbon layer, which gradually thickens CNTs along the reactor. The acetic acid also resulted in a higher growth rate along the so-called growth window, where CNT arrays are deposited on the quartz substrate. High-performance liquid chromatography of extracted byproducts (PAHs) confirmed the presence of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The solid weight of PAHs decreased upon addition of ferrocene as the catalyst precursor, as well as of acetic acid to xylene feed. The results suggest that primary light products of xylene pyrolysis can be competitive reactants for both catalytic and subsequent pyrolytic reactions. They may also be more efficient feeds for CNT growth than xylene itself.     

Catalytic cracking of tar derived from the pyrolysis of municipal solid waste fractions over biochar

The tars derived from the pyrolysis of four typical municipal solid waste fractions at 600 °C, namely pine wood (PW), tryptone (TP), polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), were characterized and then catalytically cracked by activated biochar catalyst (ABC) at 700–900 °C. The ABC was produced from the pyrolysis of pine wood at 800 °C for 1 h, then activated by CO₂ at 900 °C for 20?min. The results showed that O-containing species, N-containing species, chain hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were the main products in the raw tar from the pyrolysis of PW, TP, PE and PVC, respectively. The tar cracking efficiency by ABC was ordered as PW>TP>PE>PVC, which indicated that the biomass tars were easier to be converted by ABC than plastic tars. The highest tar conversion of 98.7% was achieved for PW at 900 °C. Besides, N-containing tars were more stable than O-containing tars. The coke deposition on the ABC was more serious after the cracking of plastic tars (PE and PVC) than that of biomass tars (PW and TP). After the catalytic cracking of TP and PVC tars at 900 °C, the nitrogen and chlorine contents in ABC increased by 3 times and 10.5 times, respectively.     

电流对苯甲醚电催化重整过程的影响

用电催化重整方法和NiCuZn-Al₂O₃催化剂进行生物油模型化合物苯甲醚的水蒸气重整制氢研究,结果表明,在700 oC和4 A条件下,获得的最高碳转化率和氢产率分别为98.3%和88.7%,电催化重整过程中发现的电流促进效应主要归结于重整反应床中温度分布的改变和电阻丝发射的热电子影响. 利用X射线衍射方法分析了反应前后的NiCuZn-Al₂O₃催化剂结构变化. 实验导出的苯甲醚重整反应表观活化能为99.54 kJ/mol,明显高于乙醇、乙酸和生物油轻质组分的重整反应表观活化能.     

Monitoring structural defects and crystallinity of carbon nanotubes in thin films

We report the influence of catalyst formulation and reaction temperature on the formation of carbon nanotube (CNT) thin films by the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method. Thin films of CNTs were grown on Fe-Mo/Al₂O₃-coated silicon wafer by thermal decomposition of methane at different temperatures ranging from 800 to 1000°C. The electron microscopic investigations, SEM as well as HRTEM, of the as-grown CNT thin films revealed the growth of uniform multi-walled CNTs in abundance. The intensity ratio of D-band to G-band and FWHM of G-band through Raman measurements clearly indicated the dependency of structural defects and crystallinity of CNTs in thin films on the catalyst formulation and CVD growth temperature. The results suggest that thin films of multi-walled CNTs with negligible amount of defects in the nanotube structure and very high crystallinity can be obtained by thermal CVD process at 925°C.     

Synthesis of carbon nanotubes via Fe-catalyzed pyrolysis of phenolic resin

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with 40–100 nm in diameter and tens of micrometers in length were prepared via catalytic pyrolysis of phenol resin in Ar at 673–1273 K using ferric nitrate as a catalyst precursor. Structure and morphology of pyrolyzed resin were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. Ferric nitrate was transformed to Fe₃O₄ at 673 K, and to metallic Fe and Fe_xC carbide at 873–1273 K. The optimal weight ratio of Fe catalyst to phenol resin for growing CNTs was 1.00 wt%, and the optimal temperature was 1073 K. In addition, use of a high pressure increased the yield of CNTs. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that Fe catalysts facilitate the CNTs growth by increasing the bond length and weakening the bond strength in C₂H₄ via donating electrons to the C atoms in it.     

Effect of hydrogen on the growth and morphology of single wall carbon nanotubes synthesized on a FeMo/MgO catalytic system

Single wall carbon nanotubes were synthesized from thermal pyrolysis of methane on a FeMo/MgO catalyst by radio frequency catalytic chemical vapor deposition (RF-CVD) using argon as a carrier gas. Controlled amounts of hydrogen (H₂/CH₄=0-1 v/v) were introduced in separate experiments along with the carbon source. The properties and morphology of the synthesized single wall carbon nanotubes were monitored by transmission electron microscopy, Raman scattering, and thermogravimetric analysis. The nanotubes with the highest crystallinity were obtained with H₂/CH₄=0.6. By monitoring the Radial Breathing Modes present in the Raman spectra of the single-wall carbon nanotube samples, the variation of the structural and morphological properties of the carbon nanotubes with the flow level of hydrogen, reflect changes of the catalyst systems induced by the presence of hydrogen.     

Synthesis of carbon nanotubes by CVD: Effect of acetylene pressure on nanotubes characteristics

The effect of acetylene partial pressure on the structural and morphological properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) synthesized by CVD on iron nanoparticles dispersed in a SiO₂ matrix as catalyst was investigated. The general growing conditions were: 110 cm³/min flow rate, 690 °C synthesis temperature, 180 Torr over pressure and two gas compositions: 2.5% and 10% C₂H₂/N₂. The catalyst and nanotubes were characterized by HR-TEM, SEM and DRX. TGA and DTA were also carried out to study degradation stages of synthesized CNTs. MWCNTs synthesized with low acetylene concentration are more regular and with a lower amount of amorphous carbon than those synthesized with a high concentration. During the synthesis of CNTs, amorphous carbon nanoparticles nucleate on the external wall of the nanotubes. At high acetylene concentration carbon nanoparticles grow, covering all CNTs’ surface, forming a compact coating. The combination of CNTs with this coating of amorphous carbon nanoparticles lead to a material with high decomposition temperature.     

Catalytic ignition of light hydrocarbons over Rh/Al2O3 studied in a stagnation-point flow reactor

The ignition (light-off) temperatures of catalytic oxidation reactions provide very useful information for understanding their surface reaction mechanism. In this study, the ignition behavior of the oxidation of hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH₄), ethane (C₂H₆), and propane (C₃H₈) over Rh/alumina catalysts is examined in a stagnation-point flow reactor. The light-off temperatures are identified by means of the sudden increase of the catalyst temperature when linearly heating the catalyst for various fuel/oxygen ratios. For hydrogen and all hydrocarbons studied, the results show a rise of ignition temperature with increasing fuel/oxygen ratio, whereas the opposite trend is observed for the light-off of CO oxidation. Hydrogen oxidation, however, shows an opposite trend compared to previous investigations, performed on platinum [1], [2].     

Synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes in oxy-fuel inverse diffusion flames with online diagnostics

A novel technique for synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in diffusion flames is presented, as is a diagnostic tool that can provide online information about nanotube size, number density, and purity. An inverse diffusion flame with a high stoichiometric mixture fraction (Z_st) is used to produce SWNTs with an average length of 1 μm. The high Z_st flame allows nanotubes to be produced in a fuel-rich region that is void of soot and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). In addition, by operating as an inverse diffusion flame the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are not exposed to oxygen and thus, can be collected downstream. Consequently, this flame provides a potential approach to large-scale synthesis of pure SWNTs. In addition, a differential mobility analyzer (DMA) is employed as an online diagnostic tool. The DMA can distinguish between excess catalyst particles and CNTs due to the differences in their electrical mobilities. Thus, the presence of CNTs as well as their size, number density, and purity relative to excess catalyst particles can be identified from the size distribution of the aerosol sampled downstream of the flame. This tool allows for rapid identification of the effect of changing process variables on nanotube growth and thus, the production process can be quickly optimized.     

Synthesis of carbon nanotubes on diamond-like carbon by the hot filament plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted considerable attention as possible routes to device miniaturization due to their excellent mechanical, thermal, and electronic properties. These properties show great potential for devices such as field emission displays, transistors, and sensors. The growth of CNTs can be explained by interaction between small carbon patches and the metal catalyst. The metals such as nickel, cobalt, gold, iron, platinum, and palladium are used as the catalysts for the CNT growth. In this study, diamond-like carbon (DLC) was used for CNT growth as a nonmetallic catalyst layer. DLC films were deposited by a radio frequency (RF) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) method with a mixture of methane and hydrogen gases. CNTs were synthesized by a hot filament plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (HF-PECVD) method with ammonia (NH₃) as a pretreatment gas and acetylene (C₂H₂) as a carbon source gas. The grown CNTs and the pretreated DLC films were observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) measurement, and the structure of the grown CNTs was analyzed by high resolution transmission scanning electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Also, using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) measurement, we confirmed that only the carbon component remained on the substrate.     

Effective synthesis of carbon nanotubes via catalytic decomposition of methane: Influence of calcination temperature on metal–support interaction of Co–Mo/MgO catalyst

The present work investigated the influence of calcination temperature for bimetallic Co–Mo/MgO catalyst on the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) of methane. The experimental results showed that variation in the catalyst calcination temperature affected carbon yield, diameter distribution and quality of the CNTs. Increasing the catalyst calcination temperature enabled Co–Mo/MgO catalysts in growing CNTs at higher yield, narrower diameter distribution and better degree of graphitization, credited to the strong metal–support interaction (MSI) formed between CoO species and MgO support. We also discovered that the catalysts of weak MSI were beneficial to the nucleation and growth of CNTs, meanwhile the catalysts with strong MSI provoked the growth of CNTs with narrow diameter distribution. The catalyst calcined at 700 °C, possessing moderate MSI, was found to be the most suitable catalyst for the growth of high quality CNTs with the diameter of 7.70±0.77 nm and the carbon yield of as high as 647.4%.     

Experimental study of the influence of hydrogenation on synthesis of carbon nanostructures in a reactor with activated hydrogen

The role of backward pyrolysis of carbon during hydrogenation of unstructured carbon black and nanotube growth in a reactor with hydrogen activated by diffusion through a heated metallic wall is studied. If the wall is heated nonuniformly, the amorphous unstructured carbon deposit “climbs” in the course of hydrogenation by active hydrogen and deposits again when falling on the heated metal surface, self-organizing into more ordered nanofibers and nanotubes as a result of forward pyrolysis. It is shown that this effect can be used for raising the concentration of carbon nanotubes growing on catalyst particles in the deposited layer.