Reaction of oxygenated biomass pyrolysis model compounds over a ZSM-5 catalyst

The application of zeolite catalysis to the upgrading of biomass-derived pyrolysis vapours has received increasing interest in recent years. It represents a potential route for the production of hydrocarbon products which can be used as substitutes for traditional fossil fuels. The complex nature of the pyrolysis oils means that there is only a very limited understanding of the reactions which take place during zeolite catalysis. Therefore, the upgrading of individual oxygenated compounds which are present in the pyrolysis oils can help in developing an understanding of the overall catalysis process. In this work, four oxygenated compounds: methanol, furfural, anisole and cyclopentanone were passed over the zeolite catalyst ZSM-5 in its hydrogen form at different temperatures varying from 300 to 500°C. The results show that methanol can be catalytically converted to hydrocarbon products at relatively low catalysis temperatures of 300–350°C, whereas the other oxygenated feedstocks require higher catalysis temperatures. The formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was found to vary depending on the oxygenated feedstock. The presence of PAHs is undesirable due to their toxic nature.