August 15, 2021
Our latest hydropyrolysis results have been published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering!
Our article entitled “Hydropyrolysis of Residual Camellia sinensis and Its Cellulose and Lignin Fractions over Nickel Nanoparticles Confined Inside Carbon Nanotube Microreactors at Atmospheric Pressure” is now featured in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. The work reports the development of microreactors comprising catalytic metal nanoparticles encapsulated inside carbon nanotubes for the valorization of waste tea branches into useful fuels and chemicals. This research has important implications for the development of deployable hydropyrolysis units that can be implemented in the field near the feedstock sources to cut transportation expanses. The application of such mobile systems at atmospheric pressure would make biofuel production safer and significantly reduce capital and operating costs.
Abstract: The potential of catalytic hydropyrolysis for the production of value-added chemicals from abundant residual biomass generated during the seasonal pruning of Camellia sinensis tea crops is evaluated. Nickel nanoparticles (∼7.2 nm) encapsulated inside the cavity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are prepared using an impregnation method and applied as microreactors in the catalytic hydropyrolysis of both fractionated and unfractionated biomass at atmospheric pressure. Over 86% of nanoparticles are selectively located inside the CNT channel with a Ni content of 13.4 wt % and a surface area of 129.3 m2·g–1. The influence of the catalyst/biomass ratio on the product yield and selectivity is examined, and the reaction pathways are discussed. Results reveal that the majority of oxygenated compounds are reformed into long-chain alkanes (50.5%) and aromatic hydrocarbons (33.0%) with a total oxygen content of 3.90% and a low heating value of 41.8 MJ·kg–1, comparable to commercial fuels.