Municipal sludge derived solid acids for levoglucosenone production via cellulose fast pyrolysis

In the present study, a series of municipal sludge derived solid acids, synthesized through hydrothermal pre-carbonization coupled with secondary pyrolysis method, were developed for levoglucosenone (LGO) production via cellulose fast pyrolysis . Specific physico-chemical characterizations such as XRD, FTIR, N 2 adsorption-desorption, NH 3 -TPD, etc., were undertaken to reveal the structural properties of as-prepared solid acids. Phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid decorated municipal sludge derived carbon-based materials containing abundant Brønsted acid sites remarkably facilitated the selective formation of LGO. Particularly, high LGO yield (~20 wt%) were achieved using both phosphoric and sulfonic acid functionalized municipal sludge derived porous carbon. The as-prepared municipal sludge derived solid acids could be reused for multiple cycles in LGO preparation without significant decline in pyrolysis performance. This research will provide good reference for the resource utilization of lignocellulosic biomass and municipal sludge, particularly in the aspect of valuable chemicals manufacture.