Mesoporous Silica Nanocatalyst-Based Pyrolysis of a By-Product of Paper Manufacturing, Black Liquor

Florian Marin, Felicia Bucura, Violeta-Carolina Niculescu (), Antoaneta Roman, Oana Romina Botoran, Marius Constantinescu (), Stefan Ionuț Spiridon, Eusebiu Ilarian Ionete, Simona Oancea and Anca Maria Zaharioiu ()
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Florian Marin: National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Felicia Bucura: National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Violeta-Carolina Niculescu: National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Antoaneta Roman: National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Oana Romina Botoran: National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Marius Constantinescu: National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Stefan Ionuț Spiridon: National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Eusebiu Ilarian Ionete: National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Simona Oancea: Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Food Industry and Environmental Protection, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, 7–9 I. Ratiu Str., 550012 Sibiu, Romania
Anca Maria Zaharioiu: National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 8, 1-17

Abstract: The valorization of black liquor, a by-product produced in considerable quantities from the paper manufacturing processes, has demonstrated the effectiveness of thermal reconversion into pyrolysis gas, bio-oil, and bio-char, a sustainable approach placing the feedstock into a circular economy concept. The present study focused on developing disposal solutions through energy recovery via pyrolysis at 300 °C and 450 °C when lignite and nanomaterials (such as Cu-Zn-MCM-41, Ni-SBA-3, or Ni-SBA16) were used as catalysts. The results were compared to those of non-catalytic pyrolysis. The use of the Cu-Zn-MCM-41 catalyst proved to be efficient for pyrolysis gas production, reaching 55.22 vol% CH 4 . The increase in the calorific value of the pyrolysis gas was associated with the use of the Cu-Zn-MCM-41, showing a value of 42.23 MJ/m 3 compared to that of the non-catalytic process, which yielded 39.56 MJ/m 3 . The bio-oil resulting from the pyrolysis with Cu-Zn-MCM-41 showed the highest energy value at 6457 kcal/kg compared to that obtained with the other two nanocatalysts, Ni-SBA-3 and Ni-SBA-16, as well as that of the raw material, which had a value of 3769 kcal/kg. The analysis of bio-char revealed no statistically significant differences when comparing the outcomes from using the various nanocatalysts, suggesting their minimal impact on the energy content.

Keywords: pyrolysis; black liquor; pyrolysis gas; bio-oil; bio-char (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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