Potentiality of combined catalyst for high quality bio-oil production from catalytic pyrolysis of pinewood using an analytical Py-GC/MS and fixed bed reactor

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of combined catalyst (ZSM-5 and CaO) for high quality bio-oil production from the catalytic pyrolysis of pinewood sawdust that was performed in Py-GC/MS and fixed bed reactor at 500 degrees C. In Py-GC/MS, the maximum yield of aromatic hydrocarbon was 36 wt% at biomass to combined catalyst ratio of 1:4 where the mass ratio of ZSM-5 to CaO in the combined catalyst was 4:1. An increasing trend of phenolic compounds was observed with an increasing amount of CaO, whereas the highest yield of phenolic compounds (31 wt%) was recorded at biomass to combined catalyst ratio of 1:4 (ZSM-5: CaO - 4:1). Large molecule compounds could be found to crack into small molecules over CaO and then undergo further reactions over zeolites. The water content, higher heating value, and acidity of bio-oil from the fixed bed reactor were 21%, 24.27 MJkg(-1), and 4.1, respectively, which indicates that the quality of obtained bio-oil meets the liquid biofuel standard ASTM D7544-12 for grade G biofuel. This research will provide a significant reference to produce a high-quality bio-oil from the catalytic pyrolysis of woody biomass over the combined catalyst at different mass ratios of biomass to catalyst. (C) 2020 Energy Institute. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.