Application of MgO-Titanomagnetite mixture in high-temperature catalytic pyrolysis of radiata pine

This study aimed to investigate the effect of MgO and titanomagnetite mixture on the high-temperature pyrolysis of radiata pine wood in a fluidised bed reactor at 850 degrees C. The catalytic performance of the MgO-titanomagnetite (MgO-TM) mixture was experimentally evaluated based on product distribution, gas composition, gas properties, and tar composition. The results revealed that addition of MgO-titanomagnetite resulted in a decrease in gas yield (67.2 wt.%) compared to addition of titanomagnetite (TM) alone (72.9 wt.%), but an improvement was found compared to addition of MgO alone (63.9 wt.%). The hydrogen concentration in the gas product was significantly enhanced (23.2 vol.%) compared to titanomagnetite alone (12.8 vol.%) or to non-catalytic (NC) pyrolysis (14.1 vol.%) but was similar to that with addition of MgO alone (22.6 vol.%). However, the addition of MgO and titanomagnetite mixture resulted in a reduction in CO concentration to 2.7 vol.% in the gas product whereas increased the -CO2 and light olefins formation. It was also found that the addition of the MgO and titanomagnetite mixture significantly increased the total concentration of ethylene and propylene (18.3 vol.%) compared to addition of titanomagnetite (5.8 vol.%), MgO (9.0 vol.%), or non-catalytic pyrolysis (12.0 vol.%). The lower heating value of the gas product and the -H-2 to CO ratio (17.5 MJ/Nm(3) and 8.7) were also improved with addition of the MgO-titanomagnetite mixture. These findings demonstrate that application of physically mixed MgO and titanomagnetite as catalyst is a promising method for converting biomass into a -H-2-rich gas product via high-temperature pyrolysis. This study offers a useful reference for the development of novel catalytic systems for biomass conversion.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effect of a mixture of MgO and titanomagnetite on the pyrolysis of radiata pine wood at 850 degrees C. The results showed that the addition of MgO-titanomagnetite reduced gas yield compared to titanomagnetite alone, but improved it compared to MgO alone. The addition of the mixture increased hydrogen concentration in the gas product, reduced CO concentration, and increased the formation of -CO2 and light olefins. The total concentration of ethylene and propylene was significantly higher with the mixture compared to other catalysts. The study concluded that physically mixed MgO and titanomagnetite is a promising catalyst for converting biomass into a hydrogen-rich gas product through high-temperature pyrolysis.