(513l) One-Step Catalytic Fast Hydropyrolysis and Upgrading of Biomass to Biofuels Using MCM-41/ZSM-5 Composites

Biomass is a widely available and renewable resource that is considered as a promising alternative to fossil fuels. The direct production of high quality bio-oil from biomass can be realized via catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP). Nevertheless, low bio-oil yields and rapid coke formation on catalysts are still the main challenges to the commercialization of the CFP technology [1]. Catalytic fast hydropyrolysis (CFHP) is an alternative to CFP that leads to deeper deoxygenated fuels and less coke. Nevertheless, the bio-oil produced via one-stage CFHP has a low atomic H:C ratio that needs to be increased via hydrotreatment to obtain gasoline and diesel range fuels. Our previous studies have shown that a second stage hydrotreatment process following the first CFHP unit can shift the product distribution from aromatics to alkanes, which increases the atomic H:C ratio [2].

Our objective in this study is to use Ni impregnated MCM-41/ZSM-5 composites with unique structure as catalysts to facilitate the tandem CFHP and hydrotreatment reactions in one step, therefore, minimizing the number of required reactors. The composites have been prepared using the aerosol method [3] and were fully characterized by N₂ sorption-desorption, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The CFHP experiments were performed using a PyGC-MS system and the biomass feedstock was miscanthus × giganteus. The initial results indicate that the composite was able to integrate the two-step CFHP and hydrotreating steps in one, which enhanced the yield of alkanes without sacrificing the yield to monoaromatic hydrocarbons.

[1] D.P. Gamliel, H.J. Cho, W. Fan, J.A. Valla, Appl. Catal. A Gen. 522 (2016) 109–119.

[2] D.P. Gamliel, G.M. Bollas, J.A. Valla, Fuel 216 (2018) 160–170.

[3] L. Yu, A. Farinmade, O. Ajumobi, Y. Su, V.T. John, J.A. Valla, Appl. Catal. A Gen. 602 (2020) 117727.