Improved yields of high value-added ketones in bio-oil from biomass fast pyrolysis employing ZnO-modified magnesium aluminum spinel catalys

Abstract

Ketones are an important class of multi-purpose products used for the production of high value-added chemicals. Herein, a novel method for the generation of methylcyclopentenone and pyridone via the modification of a magnesium aluminum spinel catalyst is proposed. In this study, zinc oxide, magnesium aluminum spinel, and ZnO-loaded magnesium aluminum spinel were used as catalysts for the catalytic pyrolysis of rape straw, corn stalk, and camphorwood powder at different reaction temperatures. Experimental results showed that different experimental temperatures and catalyst types played a crucial role in the formation of methylcyclopentenone and pyridone. Catalytic pyrolysis of rape straw with ZnO-loaded magnesium aluminum spinel increased the yield of methylcyclopentenone by greater than 6-fold compared to the yield without the catalyst, and the catalytic pyrolysis of corn stover increased the production of pyridone to 12.4%. The increase was primarily attributed to the conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose to ketones promoted by the ZnO-loaded magnesium aluminum spinel. These findings demonstrated that ZnO-loaded magnesium aluminum spinel catalysts can provide a new approach for enhancing the yield of methylcyclopentenone and pyridone during biomass fast pyrolysis.