Exploring the potential of red mud and beechwood co-processing for the upgrading of fast pyrolysis vapours

Gupta, Jyoti, Papadikis, Konstantinos, Kozhevnikov, Ivan V ORCID: 0000-0003-2453-5256 and Konysheva, Elena Yu (2017) Exploring the potential of red mud and beechwood co-processing for the upgrading of fast pyrolysis vapours. JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS, 128. pp. 35-43. ISSN 0165-2370, 1873-250X

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Abstract

Red mud, a by-product of the Bayer process in the aluminium industry, is co-processed with beechwood for the in-situ upgrading of fast pyrolysis vapour products. It is revealed that the co-processing of beechwood with thermally pre-treated red mud enhanced the vapour upgrading effect. Individual oxides (α-Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>, Fe<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>, SiO<inf>2</inf>, and TiO<inf>2</inf>), which are the main constituents of red mud were also tested for the identification of their individual impact on the upgrading process. A biomass/catalyst weight ratio of 1:4 showed the strongest effect on the product distribution. Red mud was found to reduce the yield of phenolic compounds and promote the formation of cellulose- and hemicellulose-derived furfurals and hemicellulose-derived acetic acid, which can be used for the production of a broad range of chemicals and liquid transportation fuels. α-Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> and Fe<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> reduced the relative yield of phenols as well, whereas the formation of furfurals was promoted by Fe<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> and TiO<inf>2</inf>. SiO<inf>2</inf> showed negligible effect on fast pyrolysis vapours. The impact of catalysts on the product distribution is discussed for phenols, furfurals, and acids, for which the strongest effects were observed.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Biomass conversion, Beechwood, Fast pyrolysis, Py-GC/MS, Red Mud (Bauxite mining waste), Constituent oxides: alpha-Al2O3, Fe2O3, SiO2, TiO2
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	21 Nov 2017 10:17
Last Modified:	05 Jun 2025 20:00
DOI:	10.1016/j.jaap.2017.11.002
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3012359