High-efficiency catalytic pyrolysis of palm kernel shells over Ni2P/nitrogen-doped activated carbon catalysts

Catalytic pyrolysis is a cost-effective technology for high-quality biofuel production. Biomass is converted to biooil by a thermal process in the presence of a catalyst. Catalyst development influences the reaction-pathway control to form a specific product. Here, the catalytic pyrolysis of palm kernel shells was investigated on melamine-doped activated-carbon-supported Ni2P. Different amounts of melamine (25-100 wt% support) were loaded on activated carbon by impregnation and carbonization, while the Ni2P catalyst was fabricated by the coimpregnation of nickel nitrate and ammonium hydrogen phosphate. The interaction between nitrogencontaining functional groups on the carbon surface and Ni2P caused a uniform dispersion of small-sized crystalline Ni2P particles on the activated-carbon surface, reduced from 28.91 nm to 10.85 nm, as shown by transmission electron microscopy analysis. The Ni2P/CN catalyst exhibited high oxygen removal and alkylphenol selectivity (more than 63%) in the liquid product at 350 degrees C under atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the Ni2P/CN catalyst described here exhibits good potential for high-selectivity catalytic pyrolysis of biomass to produce phenolic compounds, which have wide application in monomers and fuel additives.

Automated summary

Catalytic pyrolysis is a cost-effective technology for producing high-quality biofuels. The development of catalysts plays a crucial role in controlling the reaction pathways and producing specific products. In this study, palm kernel shells were pyrolyzed with a melamine-doped activated-carbon-supported Ni2P catalyst. The catalyst showed great potential for the selective production of phenolic compounds.