Catalytic characteristics of pyrolysis volatile matter from biomass/biomass components on a novel Ni-based catalyst supported by iron slag

In this study, a novel Ni-based catalyst supported by iron slag (IS) was used to catalyze the pyrolysis volatile matter of pine sawdust, and the catalytic characters of the novel catalyst were compared with those of alumina Ni-based catalysts. In addition, the catalytic performances of the novel iron slag Ni-based catalyst on pyrolysis volatile matter of biomass components (lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose) were experimentally investigated. Experimental results showed that the iron slag Ni-based catalyst could remove more than 90% of tar, which was close to the catalytic performance of common alumina nickel catalysts. The temperature-programmed oxidation analysis results showed that the coke amount was less than 0.6% of IS Ni-based catalyst, indicating the superior performance to alumina nickel catalyst. The analysis results of the catalytic effect on biomass components volatile matter showed that the IS Ni-based catalyst could significantly improve the tar conversion of lignin (92.71%). We compared the dew points of various biomass components and found that lignin was the main influencing factor of the dew point of pyrolysis tar. The catalytic performance of the IS Ni-based catalyst verified the economic value and environmental effect of IS for its reutilization. We analyzed the catalytic effect of pyrolysis volatile matter of biomass components on the novel catalyst for the purpose of selecting proper biomass materials.