Production of Fuel Range Hydrocarbons from Pyrolysis of Lignin over Zeolite Y, Hydrogen

In the current study, plain and lignin loaded with Zeolite Y, hydrogen was decomposed in a pyrolysis chamber. The reaction parameters were optimized and 390 degrees C, 3% catalyst with a reaction time of 40 min were observed as the most suitable conditions for better oil yield. The bio-oil collected from the catalyzed and non-catalyzed pyrolytic reactions was analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). Catalytic pyrolysis resulted in the production of bio-oil consisting of 15 components ranging from C-3 to C-18 with a high percentage of fuel range benzene derivatives. Non-catalytic pyrolysis produced bio-oil that consists of 58 components ranging from C-3 to C-24; however, the number and quantity of fuel range hydrocarbons were lower than in the catalyzed products. The pyrolysis reaction was studied kinetically for both samples using thermogravimetry at heating rates of 5, 10, 15 and 20 degrees C/min in the temperature range 20-600 degrees C. The activation energies and pre-exponential factors were calculated using the Kissinger equation for both non-catalytic and catalytic decomposition and found to be 157.96 kJ/mol, 141.33 kJ/mol, 2.66 x 10(13) min(-1) and 2.17 x 10(10) min(-1), respectively. It was concluded that Zeolite Y, hydrogen worked well as a catalyst to decrease activation energy and enhance the quality of the bio-oil generated.

Automated summary

In this study, hydrogen was decomposed in a pyrolysis chamber using plain and lignin loaded with Zeolite Y as catalyst. Optimization of reaction parameters identified 390 degrees C, 3% catalyst, and a reaction time of 40 min as the most suitable conditions for higher oil yield. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis revealed that catalytic pyrolysis produced bio-oil consisting of 15 components ranging from C-3 to C-18, with a high percentage of fuel range benzene derivatives. The non-catalytic pyrolysis resulted in the production of bio-oil with 58 components ranging from C-3 to C-24, but with lower quantity and number of fuel range hydrocarbons compared to the catalyzed products. Kinetic studies using thermogravimetry showed that the activation energies and pre-exponential factors for both non-catalytic and catalytic decomposition were calculated to be 157.96 kJ/mol, 141.33 kJ/mol, 2.66 x 10(13) min(-1), and 2.17 x 10(10) min(-1) respectively. It was concluded that Zeolite Y as a catalyst effectively decreased the activation energy and improved the quality of the bio-oil generated.