Thermocatalytic Conversion of Pine and Birch Sawdust over H-ZSM-5 Zeolite Catalyst

Abstract

The processing of lignocellulose wastes is one of the urgent tasks in modern society. These wastes can be effectively used for the production of heat, electricity, fuels, and valuable chemicals. Catalytic pyrolysis can be considered the most effective way to convert waste into valuable products. In this work, the investigation of the pyrolysis process of the birch and pine sawdust was carried out in the presence of a zeolite-based catalyst. The synthesised zeolite-based catalyst is characterised by high porosity (the specific surface area of 350 m2/g) and acidity (0.34 mmol/g). The use of the zeolite-based catalyst increases the yield of the gaseous and liquid products of pyrolysis by ca. 5 % in comparison with the non-catalytic one. Despite this increase seems to be negligible, the composition of the products was changed sufficiently because of the higher degree of feedstock decomposition. The addition of pure zeolite into the pyrolysis zone led to an increase in furanes and phenols yield for 3 times while the addition of Fe-ZSM-5 catalyst increased twice the yield of acids/esters, and hydrocarbons.