Effect of potassium on catalytic characteristics of ZSM-5 zeolite in fast pyrolysis of biomass-based furan

The effect of potassium in biomass on the catalytic activity of ZSM-5 zeolite in the fast pyrolysis of biomass was investigated using 2-methylfuran (2-MF) as the typical model compound. The mechanism of action of potassium was explored in detail, along with the physicochemical properties of ZSM-5, including crystallinity, pore structure, and surface acidity. The physicochemical properties of ZSM-5 deteriorated to varying degrees after being tainted with different potassium sources (KOH, K 2 CO 3 , KAc, and KCl). Compared with neutral KCl and strong alkali KOH, K 2 CO 3 , and KAc, with weaker alkalinity but larger crystal structure, exerted a larger influence on ZSM-5. Changes in ZSM-5 tainted with K 2 CO 3 were the greatest, and crystallinity, surface area, acidity, and the corresponding yields of valuable aromatic hydrocarbons and gas products, all declined significantly, compared with raw ZSM-5. When the amount of K(CO 3 2− ) on ZSM-5 was less than 0.5 wt%, only minor (<10 %) changes were observed in crystallinity and surface area, but total acidity decreased by over 30 percent. The conversion of 2-MF was increased using ZSM-5 tainted with less than 0.5 wt% K(CO 3 2- ) and less liquid oxygenated compounds and more CO 2 were produced. Appropriate total acidity, adjusted by a tiny amount of K 2 CO 3 , could promote deoxygenation to CO 2. However, the decarbonylation reaction was inhibited, causing a negative effect on monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which was attributed to the large-scale loss of both acidity and physical structure of ZSM-5 caused by more than 1.0 wt% K(CO 3 2- ).