Effect of catalyst on yield of liquid products from biomass via pyrolysis

The pyrolysis of biomass is a thermal treatment that results in the production of charcoal, liquid, and gaseous products. Among the liquid products, methanol is one of the most valuable products. Methanol can be used as one possible gasoline replacement for conventional gasoline and diesel fuel. Methanol can be produced by pyrolysis of biomass. Methanol mainly arises from methoxyl groups of uronic acid and from the breakdown of methyl esters and/or ethers from decomposition of pectin-like plant materials. The maximum methanol yields (12.19% at 825 K) for hazelnut shell was obtained from a Na2CO3 (30% of dried sample) catalytic flash pyrolysis run. The yields of liquid products from the samples increased with an increasing of the amount of Na2CO3 from 10% to 30%. The maximum liquid yield from yellow pine was 51.2% at 875 K. The yields of liquid products from the samples depended on the amount of K2CO3 and the temperature. The maximum liquid yield from yellow pine was 49.5% from a 30% K2CO3 catalytic run at 875 K. The catalytic effect of Na2CO3 was slightly higher than that of K2CO3 for hazelnut shell, tea waste, and yellow pine samples.