Scale-up of microwave heating process for the production of bio-oil from sewage sludge

A pilot-scale microwave heating apparatus was constructed for the production of bio-oil from sewage sludge, and the effects of important microwave processing parameters and chemical additives on the quality and yield of bio-oils were investigated. It was found that bio-oil was mainly formed at the pyrolysis temperature range of 200–400 °C. A higher heating rate (faster pyrolysis) not only increased the yield of bio-oil, but also improved the quality of bio-oil according to the elemental composition and calorific values. The maximum bio-oil yield was 30.4% of organic fraction, obtained from the pyrolysis of original sewage sludge at microwave radiation power of 8.8 kW and final pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C. All of five simple additives (KOH, H₂SO₄, H₃BO₃, ZnCl₂, and FeSO₄) reduced the bio-oil yield, but the composition and property of bio-oil varied with the additive types greatly. KOH, H₂SO₄, H₃BO₃ and FeSO₄ were found to improve the quality of bio-oils remarkably according to the calorific value, density, viscosity and carbon content of bio-oils, but ZnCl₂ treatment went against that. GC–MS analysis of the bio-oils showed that, alkali treatment promoted the formation of alkanes and monoaromatics, while acid treatment favored the formation of heterocyclics, ketones, alcohols and nitriles. Compared with sulfate slat FeSO₄, chloride salt ZnCl₂ was a better catalyst for selective catalytic pyrolysis of sewage sludge. The addition of ZnCl₂ only promoted the formation reactions of a few kinds of nitriles and ketones remarkably. It is technologically feasible to produce bio-oil form microwave-induced pyrolysis of sewage sludge by optimizing pyrolysis conditions and selecting appropriate additives.     

Effect of Acid, Steam Explosion, and Size Reduction Pretreatments on Bio-oil Production from Sweetgum, Switchgrass, and Corn Stover

Bio-oil produced from biomass by fast pyrolysis has the potential to be a valuable substitute for fossil fuels. In a recent work on pinewood, we found that pretreatment alters the structure and chemical composition of biomass, which influence fast pyrolysis. In this study, we evaluated dilute acid, steam explosion, and size reduction pretreatments on sweetgum, switchgrass, and corn stover feedstocks. Bio-oils were produced from untreated and pretreated feedstocks in an auger reactor at 450?°C. The bio-oil??s physical properties of pH, water content, acid value, density, and viscosity were measured. The chemical characteristics of the bio-oils were determined by gas chromatography?Cmass spectrometry. The results showed that bio-oil yield and composition were influenced by the pretreatment method and feedstock type. Bio-oil yields of 52, 33, and 35?wt% were obtained from medium-sized (0.68?C1.532?mm) untreated sweetgum, switchgrass, and corn stover, respectively, which were higher than the yields from other sizes. Bio-oil yields of 56, 46, and 51?wt% were obtained from 1?% H₂SO₄-treated medium-sized sweetgum, switchgrass, and corn stover, respectively, which were higher than the yields from untreated and steam explosion treatments.     

Valorization of industrial waste lignin via pyrolysis in the presence of additives: Formation,characterization, and application of fuel valued bio-oil and activated char

The annual production of over 50 million tonnes of industrial waste kraft lignin and scant utilization invites environmental concern. To explore the potential of simultaneously produced bio-oil and modified char (Activated char), lignin from industrial effluents was subjected to pyrolytic degradation at 380 °C using various additives, viz., H₃BO₃, ZnCl₂, and KOH yielding encouraging quantities of bio-oils besides substantial quantities of char. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of gaseous products (by GC-TCD) indicated a mixture of CO, CO₂, H₂, and methane, with some variation in volumetric composition suggesting potential for gaseous fuel/syngas. Gaseous products obtained in the presence of H₃BO₃ have the highest methane percentage. The bio-oils obtained in the presence of H₃BO₃, ZnCl₂, KOH, and only pure lignin under otherwise similar conditions were respectively 37%, 21%, 27%, and 11 wt%. In all cases, mainly bio-oils contain phenols, cyclic esters, and carboxylic acids, as indicated by GC-MS analysis. Elemental (C, H, O) Analyses of bio-oils obtained in the presence of (H₃BO₃, ZnCl₂, and KOH) indicated decreasing oxygen content compared to original lignin, suggesting their prima facie potential to lead to fuel additives/supplements. Similarly, the Char obtained in the presence of H₃BO₃, ZnCl₂, KOH, and only pure lignin were respectively, 40%, 53%, 48%, and 33 wt% with a high calorific value. Char obtained from KOH application demonstrated good uptake of Carbofuran (pesticide) from the aqueous solution. Less modified, cost-effective activated char was characterized using FTIR, TG-DTA, XRD, SEM, and BET-BJH, indicating 188.798 m²/g; this explores the role of KOH to form a microporous structure. Pseudo-second-order kinetics explain chemisorption to be dominant in the adsorption process. Thus, pyrolysis at selected temperatures/additives/and further treatments provides a much better way to utilize industrial waste lignin.     

Extraction and characterization of native heteroxylans from delignified corn stover and aspen

Dimethylsulfoxide-solubilized polysaccharides from delignified corn stover and aspen were characterized. The biomass was delignified by two different techniques; a standard acid chlorite and a pulp and paper QPD technique comprising chelation (Q), peroxide (P), and acid-chlorite (D). Major polysaccharides in all fractions were diversely substituted xylan. Xylan acetylation was intact after chlorite delignification and, as expected, xylan from QPD-delignified fraction was de-acetylated by the alkaline peroxide step. The study of DMSO-extractable xylans from chlorite-delignified biomass revealed major differences in native acetylation patterns between corn stover and aspen xylan. Xylan from cell walls of corn stover contains 2-O- and 3-O-mono-acetylated xylan and [MeGlcA-α-(1 → 2)][3-OAc]-xylp units. In addition, aspen xylan also contains 2,3-di-O-acetylated xylose. 1,4-β-d-xylp residues substituted with MeGlcA at O-2 position are absent in chlorite-delignified aspen xylan. Sugar composition in accord with NMR-spectroscopic data indicated that corn stover xylan is arabinosylated while aspen xylan is not. We have shown that corn stover xylan has similar structure with xylans from other plants of Poales order. No evidence was found to indicate the presence of 1,4-β-d-[MeGlcA-α-(1 → 2)][Ara-α-(1 → 3)]-xylp in corn stover xylan fractions.     

Effects of Preparation Method on the Performance of Ni/Al2O3 Catalysts for Hydrogen Production by Bio-Oil Steam Reforming

Steam reforming of bio-oil derived from the fast pyrolysis of biomass is an economic and renewable process for hydrogen production. The main objective of the present work has been to investigate the effects of the preparation method of Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts on their performance in hydrogen production by bio-oil steam reforming. The Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by impregnation, co-precipitation, and sol?Cgel methods. XRD, XPS, H₂-TPR, SEM, TEM, TG, and N₂ physisorption measurements were performed to characterize the texture and structure of the catalysts obtained after calcination and after their subsequent use. Ethanol and bio-oil model compound were selected for steam reforming to evaluate the catalyst performance. The catalyst prepared by the co-precipitation method was found to display better performance than the other two. Under the optimized reaction conditions, an ethanol conversion of 99% and a H₂ yield of 88% were obtained.     

Physical and chemical properties of bio-oils from microwave pyrolysis of corn stover

This study was aimed to understand the physical and chemical properties of pyrolytic bio-oils produced from microwave pyrolysis of corn stover regarding their potential use as gas turbine and home heating fuels. The ash content, solids content, pH, heating value, minerals, elemental ratio, moisture content, and viscosity of the bio-oils were determined. The water content was approx 15.2 wt%, solids content 0.22 wt%, alkali metal content 12 parts per million, dynamic viscosity 185 mPa.s at 40 degrees C, and gross high heating value 17.5 MJ/kg for a typical bio-oil produced. Our aging tests showed that the viscosity and water content increased and phase separation occurred during the storage at different temperatures. Adding methanol and/or ethanol to the bio-oils reduced the viscosity and slowed down the increase in viscosity and water content during the storage. Blending of methanol or ethanol with the bio-oils may be a simple and cost-effective approach to making the pyrolytic bio-oils into a stable gas turbine or home heating fuels.     

Liquefaction of corn stover and preparation of polyester from the liquefied polyol

This research investigated a novel process to prepare polyester from corn stover through liquefaction and crosslinking processes. First, corn stover was liquefied in organic solvents (90 wt% ethylene glycol and 10 wt% ethylene carbonate) with catalysts at moderate temperature under atmospheric pressure. The effect of liquefaction temperature, biomass content, and type of catalyst, such H₂SO₄, HCl, H₃PO₄, and ZnCl₂, was evaluated. Higher liquefaction yield was achieved in 2 wt% sulfuric acid, 1/4 (w/w) stover to liquefying reagent ratio; 160°C temperature, in 2h. The liquefied corn stover was rich in polyols, which can be directly used as feedstock for making polymers without further separation or purification. Second, polyester was made from the liquefied corn stover by crosslinking with multifunctional carboxylic acids and/or cyclic acid anhydrides. The tensile strength of polyester is about 5 MPa and the elongation is around 35%. The polyester is stable in cold water and organic solvents and readily biodegradable as indicated by 82% weight loss when buried in damp soil for 10 mo. The results indicate that this novel polyester could be used for the biodegradable garden mulch film production.     

TG-MS analysis for studying the effects of fire retardants on the pyrolysis of pine-needles and their components

Thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry (TG-MS) was used to study the effect of the inorganic salts (NH₄)₂SO₄ and (NH₄)₂HPO₄, active substances of many commercial forest fire retardants, on the pyrolysis of Pinus halepensis needles and their main components (cellulose, lignin and extractives). These salts seemed to affect the pyrolysis of cellulose by increasing significantly the char residue, decreasing the pyrolysis temperature and changing the composition of the evolved gases, that is, increasing levoglucosenone and decreasing oxygen containing volatile products. (NH₄)₂SO₄ seemed to have negligible effect on the pyrolysis of lignin, while (NH₄)₂HPO₄ increased the char residue and decrease the relative contribution of guaiacols in the evolved gases. No effects of the inorganic salts on the extractives were observed. Finally, the inorganic salts seemed to affect the pyrolysis of pine-needles, mainly the cellulose component, but the effects were not as intense as in the pyrolysis of cellulose.     

Mg(BO2)2在MgCl2水溶液中的相平衡与化学平衡

借助拉曼光谱和X射线衍射(XRD)检测手段,对Mg(BO_2)_2在MgCl_2水溶液中水解的固液相平衡与物种化学平衡规律进行了研究。结果表明,MgCl_2对Mg(BO_2)_2的溶解转化、多硼氧配阴离子的物种分布有很大影响:(1)随着MgCl_2浓度从0达到饱和,Mg(BO_2)_2的表观饱和浓度从0.79%增加到1.96%,pH值从9.96降到6.27;(2)Mg(BO_2)_2在纯水中水解形成固相Mg_2B_6O_(11)·15H_2O和Mg(OH)_2,在MgCl_2溶液中形成固相Mg_2B_6O_(11)·15H_2O和Mg_3Cl_2(OH)_4·4H_2O;(3)Mg(BO_2)_2在纯水中水解,硼的物种主要为B_4O_5(OH)_4~(2-)和B_3O_3(OH)_4~-,分别占液相总硼含量的49.81%和19.54%。在MgCl_2饱和溶液中,主要为B_3O_3(OH)_4~-和B_5O_6OH)_4~-,分别占液相总硼含量的44.57%和40.00%。     

Correlation between acidic properties of nickel catalysts and catalytic activities for ethylene dimerization and butene isomerization

Catalytic activities of NiO–SiO₂ for ethylene dimerization and butene isomerization run parallel when the catalysts are activated by evacuation at elevated temperatures, giving two maxima in activities. The variations in catalytic activities are closely correlated to the acidity of NiO–SiO₂ catalysts. Catalytic activities of NiO–TiO₂ catalysts modified with H₂SO₄, H₃PO₄, H₃BO₃, and H₂SeO₄ for ethylene dimerization and butene isomerization were examined. The order of catalytic activities for both reactions was found to be NiO–TiO₂/SO₄^2- >> NiO–TiO₂/PO₄^3-NiO–TiO₂/BO₃^3- > NiO–TiO₂/SeO₄^2-> NiO–TiO₂, showing clear dependence of catalytic activity upon acid strength. The high catalytic activity of supported nickel sulfate for ethylene dimerization was related to the increase of acidity and acid strength due to the addition of NiSO₄. The asymmetric stretching frequency of the S=O bonds for supported NiSO₄ catalysts was related to the acidic properties and catalytic activity. That is, the higher the frequency, the larger both the acidity and catalytic activity. For NiSO₄/Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ catalyst, the addition of Al₂O₃ up to 5 mol% enhanced catalytic activity for ethylene dimerzation and strong acidity gradually due to the formation of Al–O–Zr bond. The active sites responsible for ethylene dimerization consist of a low-valent nickel, Ni⁺, and an acid, as evidenced by the IR spectra of CO adsorbed on NiSO₄/ -Al₂O₃ and Ni 2p XPS.     

Effect of the matrix composition on the activity of metal oxide catalysts in CVD synthesis of carbon nanotubes

Citrate-nitrate method was used to synthesize (Fe,Co)/MgO-Al₂O₃, (Fe,Mo)/MgO-Al₂O₃, and (CoMo)/MgO-Al₂O₃ catalysts for production of carbon nanotubes. Multi-walled nanotubes were formed on these catalysts by catalytic pyrolysis of a propane-butane mixture.     

Catalytic Transformation of Bio-oil to Olefins with Molecular Sieve Catalysts

Catalytic conversion of bio-oil into light olefins was performed by a series of molecular sieve catalysts, including HZSM_-5, MCM_-41, SAPO_-34 and Y_-zeolite. Based on the light olefins yield and its carbon selectivity, the production of light olefins decreased in the following order:HZSM_-5>SAPO_-34>MCM_-41>Y_-zeolite. The highest olefins yield from bio-oil using HZSM_-5 catalyst reached 0.22 kg/kg_bio-oil with carbon selectivity of 50.7% and a nearly complete bio-oil conversion. The reaction conditions and catalyst characterization were investigated in detail to reveal the relationship between the catalyst structure and the production of olefins. The comparison between the pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of bio-oil was also performed.     

Comparison between the “one-step” and “two-step” catalytic pyrolysis of pine bark

In this study, one-step and two-step pyrolysis systems were compared in the pyrolysis of pine bark. One-step pyrolysis was performed in a fixed bed reactor with and without catalyst. Two-step pyrolysis was carried out in a dual reactor system over catalyst; the first reactor containing no catalyst whereas the second reactor containing catalyst to upgrade the thermally cracked products. The catalysts used in the pyrolysis systems were ReUS-Y, red mud and ZSM-5. In thermal pyrolysis, the pyrolysis system mainly affected the relative amount of bio-oil. The bio-oil yields obtained from two-step thermal pyrolysis were higher than the yields from one-step thermal pyrolysis. In the catalytic runs, ReUS-Y catalyst slightly decreased the char formation with a consequent increase in aqueous phase yield in the case of one-step pyrolysis. However, the catalysts decreased the bio-oil yield with a consequent increase in the gas yield in the case of two-step pyrolysis. The general compositions of bio-oils obtained from both two pyrolysis systems were affected by using catalysts. In the case of one-step pyrolysis, the formation of water and water soluble compounds were reduced by using ReUS-Y catalyst. In the case of two-step pyrolysis, both ZSM-5 and red mud increased the formation of water soluble compounds while they decreased water formation. In contrast, ReUS-Y decreased the formation of water soluble compounds and increased the amount of pyrolytic lignin compounds in bio-oil. Fuel characteristics of pyrolysis products (gas, bio-oil and char) for both two pyrolysis systems were also investigated comparatively.     

Production of liquid bio-fuel from catalytic de-oxygenation: Pyrolysis of beech wood and flax shives

This study presents a detailed analysis of the catalytic de-oxygenation of the liquid and gaseous pyrolytic products of two biomasses (beech wood and flax shives) using different catalysts (commercial HZSM-5 and H-Y,and lab-synthesised Fe-HZSM-5,Fe-H-Y,Pt/Al2O3 and CoMo/Al2O3). The experiments were all conducted in a semi-batch reactor under the same operating conditions for all feed materials. BET specific surface area,BJH pore size distribution and FT-IR technologies have been used to characterise the catalysts,while gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS),flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) and thermal conductivity detection (GC-TCD) were used to examine the liquid and gaseous pyrolytic products. It was firstly seen that at higher catalyst-to-biomass ratios of 4∶1,de-oxygenation efficiency did not experience any further significant improvement. FeHZSM-5 was deemed to be the most efficient of the catalysts utilised as it helped reach the lowest oxygen contents in the bio-oils samples and the second best was HZSM-5. It was also found that HZSM-5 and H-Y tended to privilege the decarbonylation route(production of CO),whilst their iron-modified counterparts favoured the decarboxylation one (production of CO2) for both biomasses studied. It was then seen that the major bio-oil components (carboxylic acids) underwent almost complete conversion under catalytic treatment to produce mostly unoxygenated aromatic compounds,phenols and gases like CO and CO2. Finally,phenols were seen to be the family most significantly formed from the actions of all catalysts.     

HZSM-5上生物质催化裂解的近期研究进展

概述了近期的HZSM-5对生物质和生物油催化裂解的研究进展,重点介绍了催化剂的应用、生物油提质的方法和反应机理.     

MnxOy/NC and CoxOy/NC Nanoparticles Embedded in a Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Matrix for High‐Performance Bifunctional Oxygen Electrodes

Reversible interconversion of water into H₂ and O₂, and the recombination of H₂ and O₂ to H₂O thereby harnessing the energy of the reaction provides a completely green cycle for sustainable energy conversion and storage. The realization of this goal is however hampered by the lack of efficient catalysts for water splitting and oxygen reduction. We report exceptionally active bifunctional catalysts for oxygen electrodes comprising Mn₃O₄ and Co₃O₄ nanoparticles embedded in nitrogen‐doped carbon, obtained by selective pyrolysis and subsequent mild calcination of manganese and cobalt N₄ macrocyclic complexes. Intimate interaction was observed between the metals and nitrogen suggesting residual M–N_x coordination in the catalysts. The catalysts afford remarkably lower reversible overpotentials in KOH (0.1 M ) than those for RuO₂, IrO₂, Pt, NiO, Mn₃O₄, and Co₃O₄, thus placing them among the best non‐precious‐metal catalysts for reversible oxygen electrodes reported to date.     

Production of fungicidal oil and activated carbon from pistachio shell

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of pistachio shell as a biomass feedstock for the production of fungicidal oil and a precursor for the production of activated carbon by physical activation. For this purpose, pistachio shell was pyrolyzed in a fixed bed reactor at the different temperatures (300-600 °C). The pyrolysis products were identified as gas, bio-oil, aqueous solution and char. The product distribution from pyrolysis process did not significantly change when the pyrolysis temperature was above 300 °C. The pyrolysis gas product had low calorific value since it contained the high proportion of carbon oxides. Because of their high oxygen content, the bio-oils were found not to be used as a fuel. Thus, the bio-oil was tested again four different types of fungi (pathogenetic, wood decaying and saprophyting). It was shown fungicidal activity again all tested fungi at the concentration of 10-50 mg ml⁻¹. The pyrolysis char was evaluated as a precursor for the production of activated carbon. The surface area and micropore volume of the activated carbon produced from the char by CO₂ activation at 900 °C were found to be 708 m² g⁻¹ and 0.280 cm³ g⁻¹, respectively.     

Inorganics distribution in bio oils and char produced by biomass fast pyrolysis: The key role of aerosols

Fast pyrolysis of biomass is a promising process for the preparation of bio-oil dedicated to energy production. Inorganic species originally present in biomass are known to induce problems such as bio-oil instability or deposits and fouling. However the mechanisms of inorganic species release during biomass pyrolysis into the raw bio-oils still remain unclear. The present work focuses on the determination of inorganic distribution in the products from wheat straw and beech wood fast pyrolysis performed in a fluidized bed. More specifically, the bio-oils are fractionated by using a series of condensers. The results show that more than 60 wt.% of the inorganic content of the overall bio-oil is contained in the aerosols. Several possible interpretations for this observation are discussed. It is likely that the inorganics are transported within the aerosols droplets and solid particles which are recovered in the bio-oils, either by mechano-chemical processes, or by entrainment of submicron intermediate liquid compound formed in the first steps of biomass fast pyrolysis.     

A new polymorph of Cu3B2O6

A new polymorph of nonacopper(II) bis(orthoborate) bis(hexaoxodiborate), Cu₉(BO₃)₂(B₂O₆)₂, or Cu₃B₂O₆ with Z′ = 3, has a pseudo‐layered monoclinic structure containing BO₃ triangles and B₂O₆ units consisting of corner‐sharing BO₃ triangles and BO₄ tetrahedra. The compound was obtained during an investigation of the Li–Cu–B–O system. In contrast to the triclinic form of Cu₃B₂O₆, the layers are linked to one another by BO₄ tetrahedra.     

Chemical composition of bio-oil produced by co-pyrolysis of biopolymer/polypropylene mixtures with K2CO3 and ZnCl2 addition

The chemical composition of liquid products of cellulose and lignin co-pyrolysis with polypropylene at 450 °C with and without the potassium carbonate or zinc chloride as an catalyst was investigated. The yield of liquid products of pyrolysis was in the range of 26–45 wt% and their form was liquid or semi-solid highly depending on the composition of sample and pyrolysis conditions. The potassium carbonate and zinc chloride addition to blends has also influenced the range of samples decomposition as well as the chemical composition of resulted bio-oils. All bio-oils from biopolymer and polypropylene mixtures were three-phase (water, oil and solid). While zinc chloride acted as catalyst, all bio-oils obtained from biopolymer and polypropylene mixtures were yellow liquids with well-separated water and oil phases. All analyses proved that the structure and quality of bio-oil strongly depends on both the composition of the blend and the presence of the additive. The FT-IR and GC–MS analyses of oils showed that oxygen functionalities and hydrocarbons contents highly depend on the composition of biomass/polypropylene mixture. Results confirmed the significant removal and/or transformation of oxygen containing organic compounds, i.e. levoglucosan, 1,6-anhydro-β-d-glucofuranose and phenol derivatives due to the zinc chloride presence during pyrolysis process. All analyses showed that zinc chloride as catalyst was generally much more effective for removal of hydroxyl and methoxy groups than was potassium carbonate. It was demonstrated in this study that catalysts used in present work lead to the increased char yield and improved the fuel quality of bio-oil.