Performance of Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis using a γ-Al2O3 Catalyst with Compound Modification of ZrO2 and CeO2

To investigate the catalytic pyrolysis performance of complex metal oxide catalysts for biomass, γ-Al2O3 was prepared through the precipitation method, and then ZrO2 and γ-Al2O3 were blended in the proportion of 2:8 using the co-precipitation method. Next, CeO2 was loaded on the surface of the catalyst for further modification. The three catalysts, A, ZA and CZA, were obtained. The specific surface and acidity of the catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption–desorption and NH3-Temperature Programmed Desorption (NH3-TPD) respectively. The catalytic pyrolysis performance of catalysts for bamboo residues was investigated by Pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Chromatograms were analyzed for identification of the pyrolysis products and the relative amounts of each component were calculated. Experimental results indicated that catalyst A had a good catalytic activity for the fast pyrolysis of bamboo residues. The addition of ZrO2 and CeO2 could continuously enhance the acidity of the catalyst and further promote the pyrolysis of macromolecular compounds and deoxidation of oxygen-containing compounds. Finally, catalyst CZA, obtained by compound modification, could not only dramatically reduce the relative content of phenol, acid and aldehyde and other oxygen-containing compounds, but also achieved the maximum hydrocarbon yield of 23.38%. The catalytic performance of catalyst CZA improved significantly compared with catalyst A.