Investigation of physicochemical properties of biooils produced from yellow poplar wood (Liriodendron tulipifera) at various temperatures and residence times

Fast pyrolysis of yellow poplar wood (Liriodendron tulipifera) was performed under different temperature ranges and residence times in a fluidized bed reactor to maximize the yield of biooil. In this study, the pyrolysis temperature ranged from 400 °C to 550 °C, and the residence time of pyrolysis products was controlled between 1.2 and 7.7 s by inert nitrogen gas flow. The results revealed that the distribution of thermal degradation products (biooil, biochar, and gas) from the woody biomass was heavily influenced by pyrolysis temperature, as well as residence time. The highest yield of biooil was approximately 68.5 wt% (wet basis), with pyrolysis conditions of 500 °C and 1.9 s of residence time. Water content of the biooils produced at different temperatures was 25-30 wt%, and their higher heating values were estimated to be between 15 MJ/kg and 17 MJ/kg. Using GC/MS analysis, 30 chemical components were identified from the biooil, which were classified into 5 main groups: organic acids, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and phenols. In addition, biochar was produced as a co-product of fast pyrolysis of woody biomass, approximately 10 wt%, at temperatures between 450 °C and 550 °C. The physicochemical features of the biochar, including elemental analysis, higher heating values, and morphological properties by SEM, were also determined.     

Bio-oil production from Onopordum acanthium L. by slow pyrolysis

In this study, the usability of the plant thistle, Onopordum acanthium L., belonging to the family Asteraceae (Compositae), in liquid fuel production has been investigated. The experiments were performed in a fixed-bed Heinze pyrolysis reactor to investigate the effects of heating rate, pyrolysis temperature and sepiolite percentage on the pyrolysis product yields and chemical compositions. Experiments were carried out in a static atmosphere with a heating rate of 7 °C/min and 40 °C/min, pyrolysis temperature of 350, 400, 500, 550 and 700 °C and particle size of 0.6 < D_p < 0.85 mm. Catalyst experiments were conducted in a static atmosphere with a heating rate of 40 °C/min, pyrolysis temperature of 550 °C and particle size of 0.6 < D_p < 0.85 mm. Bio-oil yield increased from 18.5% to 27.3% with the presence of 10% of sepiolite catalyst at pyrolysis temperature of 550 °C, with a heating rate of 40 °C/min, and particle size of 0.6 < D_p < 0.85 mm. It means that the yield of bio-oil was increased at around 48.0% after the catalyst added. Chromatographic and spectroscopic studies on the bio-oil showed that the oil obtained from O. acanthium L. could be used as a renewable fuels and chemical feedstock.     

Synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes catalyzed by substituted ferrocenes

A range of substituted ferrocenes were used as catalysts for the synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and carbon fibers (CFs). These products were obtained in the temperature range 800-1000 °C, in a reducing atmosphere of 5% H₂ by pyrolysis of (CpR)(CpR′)Fe (R and R′ = H, Me, Et and COMe) in toluene solution. The effect of pyrolysis temperature (800-1000 °C), catalyst concentration (5 and 10 wt.% in toluene) and solution injection rate (0.2 and 0.8 ml/min) on the type and yield of carbonaceous product synthesized was investigated. Carbonaceous products formed include graphite film (mostly at high temperature; 900-1000 °C), carbon nanotubes and carbon fibers. The carbonaceous materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The ferrocene ring substituents influenced both the CNT diameter and the carbon product formed.     

Thermal degradation behaviour of aromatic poly(ester-amide) with pendant phosphorus groups investigated by pyrolysis-GC/MS

The thermal stability of a novel phosphorus-containing aromatic poly(ester-amide) ODOP-PEA was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The weight of ODOP-PEA fell slightly at the temperature range of 300-400 °C in the TGA analysis, and the major weight loss occurred at 500 °C. The structural identification of the volatile products resulted from the ODOP-PEA pyrolysis at different temperatures was performed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (pyrolysis-GC/MS). The P-C bond linked between the pendant DOPO group and the polymer chain disconnected first at approximately 275 °C, indicating that it is the weakest bond in the ODOP-PEA. The P-O bond in the pendant DOPO group was stable up to 300 °C. The cleavage of the ester linkage within the polymer main chain initiated at 400 °C, and the amide bond scission occurred at greater than 400 °C. The structures of the decomposition products were used to propose the degradation processes happening during the pyrolysis of the polymer.     

Gas- and solid/liquid-phase reactions during pyrolysis of softwood and hardwood lignins

Pyrolytic reactions of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, a softwood) and Japanese beech (Fagus crenata, a hardwood) milled wood lignins (MWLs) were studied with thermogravimetry (TG) and by pyrolysis in a closed ampoule reactor (N₂/600 °C). The data were compared with those of guaiacol/syringol as simple lignin model aromatic nuclei. Several DTG peaks were observed around 300-350, 450, 590 and 650 °C. The first DTG peak temperature (326 °C) of beech was lower than that (353 °C) of cedar. This indicates that the volatile formation from cedar MWL is slightly delayed in heating at 600 °C. The gas-phase reactions via GC/MS-detectable low MW products were explainable with the temperature-dependent reactions observed for guaiacol/syringol in our previous paper. The methoxyl groups became reactive at ∼450 °C, giving O-CH₃ homolysis products (catechols/pyrogallols) and OCH₃ rearrangement products (cresols/xylenols). The former homolysis products were effectively converted into gaseous products (mainly CO) at >550-600 °C. However, the GC/MS-detectable tar yields, especially syringyl unit-characteristic products, were much lower than those from guaiacol/syringol. Thus, contributions of higher MW intermediates and solid/liquid-phase reactions are more important in lignin pyrolysis. From the results of stepwise pyrolysis of char + coke fractions at 450 and 600 °C, the methoxyl group-related reactions (450 °C) and intermediates gasification (600 °C) were suggested to occur also in the solid/liquid phase. This was consistent with the DTG peaks observed around these temperatures. These solid/liquid-phase reactions reduced the tar formation, especially catechols/pyrogallols and PAHs. Different features observed between these two MWLs are also focused.     

Hydrogen production from the aqueous phase derived from fast pyrolysis of biomass

Hydrogen production from the aqueous phase derived from fast pyrolysis of biomass was carried out by catalytic steam reforming in a fluidized bed reactor. The effects of reaction conditions such as reaction temperature, steam-to-carbon ratio (S/C) and weight hourly space velocity of the aqueous phase (WHSV) on the results of hydrogen yield, potential hydrogen yield and carbon selectivity of product gases were investigated. The effect of reaction temperature on the carbon deposition on catalyst was also studied. The hydrogen yield of 64.6%, potential hydrogen yield of 77.6% and the carbon selectivity for product gases of 84.3% can be obtained at the optimized conditions of reaction temperature 800 °C, S/C 10 and WHSV 1.0 h⁻¹.     

Fuel oil from ABS using a tandem PEG-enhanced denitrogenation-pyrolysis method: Thermal degradation of denitrogenated ABS

Thermal degradation of ABS and denitrogenated ABS samples (DABS), prepared by sequential hydrolysis of ABS using PEG/NaOH, has been investigated under inert gas and at atmospheric pressure in a temperature range between 40 and 700 °C, by means of TGA, TGA-IR, and TGA-MS, to study the link between original structure of DABS and eventual pyrolysis. For DABS, thermal decomposition begins at the side groups of -CONH₂ and/or -COOH, resulting in a lower initial degradation temperature of DABS (around 330 °C) relative to ABS (372.5 °C). Moreover, less HCN and acrylonitrile evolve from the DABS samples, while the evolution of CO₂ starts earlier and becomes more important, in line with the decreased number of -CN groups and the increased number of -COOH functional groups due to hydrolysis. The results from thermo-analytical experiments were confirmed by batch pyrolysis tests: the nitrogen content of oil produced from DABS pyrolysis is much lower, compared with that from ABS, proving that effective denitrogenation of ABS prior to pyrolysis is beneficial to the quality of pyrolysis oil.     

Thermal decomposition products of copoly(arylene ether sulfone)s characterized by direct pyrolysis mass spectrometry

Pyrolysis products with mass of up to 850 Da were detected by direct pyrolysis mass spectrometric (DPMS) analysis of a series of copoly(arylene ether sulfone)s (PES-PPO) synthesized by nucleophilic condensation of either 4,4′-dichlorodiphenylsulfone (CDPS) or 4,4′-bis-(4-chlorophenyl sulfonyl) biphenyl (long chain dichloride, LCDC) with different molar ratios of hydroquinone (HQ) or dihydroxydiphenylsulfone (HDPS). Pyrolysis products retaining the repeating units of the initial copolymers were formed at temperatures ranging from 420 °C to 470 °C (near the initial decomposition temperature). At temperatures higher than 450 °C were observed products containing biphenyl units, formed by the elimination process of SO₂ from diphenyl sulfone bridges. Products having biphenyl and dibenzofuran moieties were detected in the mass spectra recorded at temperatures above 550 °C. These units were formed by loss of hydrogen atom from diphenyl ether bridges. Although the EI (18 eV) mass spectra of the pyrolysis products of the samples investigated were very similar, it was found that the relative intensity of some ions reflects the molar composition of the copolymers analysed. Cyclic and linear oligomers with very low molecular mass, present in the crude copolymers, were also detected by DPMS. Thermogravimetric analysis also showed their excellent thermal stability below 400 °C. It indicates that the copolymers yield a char residue of 40-45% at 800 °C, which increases with the PPO mole fraction in the samples.     

Catalytic pyrolysis of polypropylene to synthesize carbon nanotubes and hydrogen through a two-stage process

A two-stage reaction process was used to convert polypropylene (PP) into multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and hydrogen-rich gas. The proposed process consisted of two stages: catalytic pyrolysis of PP over HZSM-5 zeolite in a screw kiln reactor and the subsequent catalytic decomposition of pyrolysis gases over a nickel catalysts in a moving-bed reactor for producing MWCNTs and hydrogen. The resultant gas mainly consisted of hydrogen and methane. SEM and TEM images revealed that carbon products in the moving-bed reactor were in the form of MWCNTs. XRD and TGA characterization indicated that high decomposition temperature resulted in the formation of more highly crystalline nanotubes. The influence of pyrolysis temperature (550-750 °C) and decomposition temperature (500-800 °C) on the performances of the two-stage reaction system were investigated. The MWCNT yield and hydrogen concentration increased with an increase in the decomposition temperature and reached a maximum at 700 °C. With increasing pyrolysis temperature the yield of pyrolysis gas increased while the liquid yield decreased. The yield of MWCNTs in the moving-bed reactor was determined by both the quantity and quality of the pyrolysis gas.     

Floating catalyst CVD synthesis of carbon nanotubes from CpFe(CO)2X (X = Me, I): Poisoning effects of I

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), carbon fibers (CFs) and carbon spheres (CSs) were synthesized by an injection chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method using toluene solutions of CpFe(CO)₂Me as catalyst. The effect of pyrolysis temperature (800-1000 °C), catalyst concentration (5 and 10 wt% in toluene) and solution injection rate (0.2 and 0.8 ml/min) on the type and yield of carbonaceous product synthesized was investigated. The carbonaceous materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Raman spectroscopy. The use of CpFe(CO)₂I as catalyst generated only carbon fibres and balls (wide range of conditions). Studies involving the addition of I₂ to catalyst solutions confirmed the poisoning effect of I on CNT production.     

Catalytic degradation of high density polyethylene over nanocrystalline HZSM-5 zeolite

High density polyethylene (HDPE) was catalytically degraded using a laboratory fluidised bed reactor in order to obtain high yield of gas fractions at mild temperatures, between 350 and 550 °C. The catalyst used was nanocrystalline HZSM-5 zeolite. High yields of butenes (25%) were found in the gas fractions, which were composed mainly of olefins. Waxes were wholly composed of linear and branched paraffins, with components between C₁₀ and C₂₀. The effects of both temperature and polymer to catalyst ratio on the product yield were studied. Gas conversion was dramatically decreased when the operation temperature was low (below 450 °C) or when the polymer to catalyst ratio was greatly increased (9.2). Gas and wax compositions significantly altered over 500 °C, showing that a part of the HDPE was degraded thermally, increasing the olefin concentration in the waxes. The same variation was observed in the experiments carried out at high polymer to catalyst ratios, obtaining a 50% olefinic concentration in the waxes. The differences observed in product distributions can be attributed to both thermal and catalytic degradations.     

Effects of the types of zeolites on catalytic upgrading of pyrolysis wax oil

Because zeolites play an important role in an upgrading catalyst for heavy hydrocarbons in industrial refinery processes, the effects of the zeolite type on the upgrading of pyrolysis wax oil are investigated in this study. Raw pyrolysis wax oil was obtained from the pyrolysis of municipal plastic wastes in a commercial rotary kiln pyrolysis plant (Dongmyong RPF Co.). The catalystic experiments are performed for the three different types of commercial zeolites with different physicochemical properties in a continuous fixed bed reactor at 450 °C for 1 h as a MAT(micro-activity test) method: HZSM-5 (pure), zeolite Y (HY; pure or including 20% clay) and mordenite (HM; including 20% clay or alumina) catalysts. The highest conversion of pyrolysis wax oil into light hydrocarbons such as gas products and gasoline-range hydrocarbons is obtained for the HZSM-5 catalyst among them, and the composition of liquid products is found to become in the main aromatic components due to a shape selectivity. For the case of zeolite Y(HY), medium activity and the highest fraction of branched hydrocarbons with a high octane number, as well as a high fraction of aromatic products are shown. However, the mordenite (HM) with one-dimensional pore structure shows the lowest conversion of pyrolysis wax oil into light hydrocarbons and a very high fraction of paraffin product in the liquid product like the characteristics of raw pyrolysis wax oil.     

Deoxy-liquefaction products obtained from Crofton weed at different temperatures

Crofton weed is an invasive alien plant which is causing significant economic and environmental losses in China. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the applicability of deoxy-liquefaction reaction to the utilization of Crofton weed. Deoxy-liquefaction experiments of two different sections (leaves and stems) and the whole plant of Crofton weed were performed at six different temperatures (375-500 °C). Oils with low oxygen contents (<8 wt%) and high HHVs (>40 MJ/kg) were obtained. 425 °C was the optimum temperature for obtaining oil from Crofton weed. Besides, solid chars with high HHVs of about 20 MJ/kg were obtained. Gases with HHVs ranging from 1.6 to 5.7 MJ/mol were produced. The overall energy recovery of the system was estimated at about 70%.     

Potential of front face fluorescence associated to PLS regression to predict nutritional parameters in heat treated infant formula models

This work shows that front face fluorescence spectroscopy associated to partial least squares (PLS) calibration is a fast and simple method to assess the nutritional impact of heat treatment on milk samples.Emission spectra of tryptophan (Trp) and of advanced Maillard products (AMP) were recorded on intact milk samples non-heated and heated at seven temperatures (72 °C, 80 °C, 87 °C, 95 °C, 100 °C, 110 °C and 115 °C) for six different times (from 2 min to 9.5 min) by means of front face fluorescence. PLS calibrations were constructed in order to indirectly quantify three indicators: vitamin C, protein denaturation and accumulation of Maillard products using the fluorescence of advanced Maillard products and soluble tryptophan method (FAST). The prediction models allowed obtaining an estimation of these indicators with a relative error of 12% for vitamin C and about 18% for the FAST index and soluble whey protein ratio.     

Thermal decomposition and stability of fatty acid methyl esters in supercritical methanol

In recent years, non-catalytic supercritical processes for biodiesel production have been proposed as alternative environmentally friendly technologies. However, conditions of high temperature and pressure that occur while biodiesel is in supercritical fluid can cause fuel degradation, resulting in low yield. In this study, we performed the thermal decomposition of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) in supercritical methanol at temperatures ranging from 325 °C to 420 °C and pressure of 23 MPa to investigate the degradation characteristics and thermal stability of biodiesel. The primary reactions we observed were isomerization, hydrogenation, and pyrolysis of FAMEs. The main pathway of degradation was deduced by analyzing the contents of degradation products. We found that if FAME has shorter chain length or is more saturated, it has higher thermal stability in supercritical methanol. All FAMEs remained stable at 325 °C or below. Based on these results, we recommend that transesterification reactions in supercritical methanol should be carried out below 325 °C (at 23 MPa) and 20 min, the temperature at which thermal decomposition of FAMEs begins to occur, to optimize high-yield biodiesel production.     

Catalytic performances of kaoline and silica alumina in the thermal degradation of polypropylene

Polypropylene was cracked thermally and catalytically in the presence of kaoline and silica alumina in a semi batch reactor in the temperature range 400℃～550℃ in order to obtain suitable liquid fuels.The dependencies between process temperatures,types of catalyst,feed compositions and product yields of the obtained fuel fractions were found.It was observed that up to 450℃ thermal cracking temperature,the major product of pyrolysis was liquid oil and the major product at other higher temperatures(475℃～550℃) ...     

Pyrolysis of waste tire on ZSM-5 zeolite with enhanced catalytic activities

Catalytic copyrolysis of waste tires over ZSM-5 zeolite with lubricant base oil (LBO) was undertaken at 430 °C under nitrogen atmosphere in a batch mode, and the pyrolysis oils were characterized using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). By combining with LBO, the ZSM-5 catalyzed pyrolysis system of tires has a sharply enhanced degradation rate. Compared to the pyrolysis without LBO, the liquid yield is increased from 33.6% to 48.0%, while the gas and the residue yields are decreased. In the pyrolysis oils, the content of heavy components is decreased and the content of light oils (n-C ≤ 12) is increased from 77.8%(without LBO) to 83.1%(with LBO); especially, the content of C₁₀ components has a sharp increase. Moreover, the liquid compositions are changed. Particularly, the percentage of limonene increased dramatically from 7.54% for thermal degradation to 13.58%. These results suggest that the enhanced catalytic effects on pyrolysis of tires in the catalytic systems are due to the improved interactions between tires and catalysts with the help of LBO. Therefore, it is possible to improve the process economics of scrap tires by catalytic copyrolysis with LBO, which can not only increase the pyrolysis rate remarkably but also produce high-value oil products.     

Characterization of the liquid product recovered through pyrolysis of PMMA-ABS waste

Thermal decomposition of waste polymethylmethacrylate-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PMMA-ABS) blend has been carried out using analytical and lab-scale pyrolysis methods in order to identify the substantial components appearing in the liquid product. Additionally decomposition characteristics of the blend have been investigated regarding the possible interrelation between the two components during the pyrolysis. The interactions between PMMA and ABS seem to modify the decomposition characteristics of the ABS, resulting in a lower degradation temperature than that of pure ABS. Moreover the simultaneous decomposition results in recombination of the products yielding new volatile compounds. During batch pyrolysis relatively high amount of gas production was observed, that is in contradiction with the results obtained by analytical pyrolysis and the data found in the literature where pyrolysis of the PMMA as well as the ABS was reported to yield low amount of gas products. The liquid product retrieved from thermal decomposition has been analyzed with respect to the possible utilization as a propellant. Hence aside from the investigation of contained elements and compounds, determination of density, viscosity, research octane number (RON), calorific value, and gaseous emissions has been carried out as well. The relatively high yield (65 wt%), and outstanding compression tolerance (RON = 110.2) observed at the pyrolysis oil make it a feasible fuel admixture.     

Influence of pyrolysis temperature and time on the cellulose fast pyrolysis products: Analytical Py-GC/MS study

Analytical pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was employed to achieve fast pyrolysis of cellulose and on-line analysis of the pyrolysis vapors. Experiments were performed to reveal the effects of pyrolysis temperature and time on the distribution of the pyrolytic products, especially the formation characteristics of eighteen important products. During the fast pyrolysis process, the cellulose started decomposition to form organic volatile products at the set pyrolysis temperature of 400 °C. The pyrolytic products included various anhydrosugars (dominated by the levoglucosan (LG)), anhydrosugar derivatives (mainly the levoglucosenone (LGO), 1,4:3,6-dianhydro-α-d-glucopyranose (DGP), 1,5-anhydro-4-deoxy-d-glycero-hex-1-en-3-ulose (APP) and 1-hydroxy-3,6-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-2-one (LAC)), furan compounds (typically the 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural (HMF), furfural (FF) and furan (F)), as well as light linear carbonyls (mainly the hydroxyacetaldehyde (HAA) and 1-hydroxy-2-propanone (HA)). These products were generated with different characteristics. The LG was the most important product, it was thermally stable, and its formation was favored at elevated pyrolysis temperature and time. Most of the other products were also enhanced at elevated pyrolytic conditions. However, some products, such as the LGO, were favorable to be produced at low temperatures. Based on these characteristics, discussion was performed on the possible pyrolytic pathways for the formation of the important products.