Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis of Cellulose for the Selective Production of Levoglucosenone Using Phosphorus Molybdenum Tin Mixed Metal Oxides

• Published in: Energy & fuels 2022-09, Vol.36 (17), p.10251-10260
• Main Authors: Li, Yang, Hu, Bin, Fu, Hao, Wu, Yu-long, Zhang, Zhen-xi, Liu, Ji, Zhang, Bing, Lu, Qiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bioenergy, Biofuels, and Biorefinery
• ISSN: 0887-0624; 1520-5029
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.2c02075

Cellulose can be selectively converted into levoglucosenone (LGO), a high-value anhydrosugar, through fast pyrolysis with acidic catalysts. Herein, phosphorus molybdenum tin mixed metal oxides (P-Mo/SnO2) were prepared for the selective production of LGO from the in situ catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) of cellulose, where the PO4 3–, P-support, and Mo6+ species in P-Mo/SnO2 played the determining role in promoting depolymerization, dehydration, and deoxygenation reactions. Pyrolysis-chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) tests were carried out to explore the influence of catalyst-to-cellulose (CA-to-CL) ratio, phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) loading, and pyrolytic reaction temperature on LGO preparation. The results demonstrated the maximal LGO yield could reach 17.98 wt % via using P-Mo/SnO2 with the PMA loading of 50 wt % at the pyrolysis temperature of 300 °C and the CA-to-CL ratio of 1:1. Moreover, the highest LGO yield could be up to 12.70 wt % in lab-scale CFP tests at 300 °C and the CA-to-CL ratio of 2:1, and the LGO yield could remain above 10 wt % after five runs of catalyst calcination regeneration.