Lithium–Sodium Fly Ash-Derived Catalyst for the In Situ Partial Deoxygenation of Isochrysis sp. Microalgae Bio-Oil

Nur Adilah Abd Rahman, Fernando Cardenas-Lizana, Aimaro Sanna

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
30 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The catalytic potential of Na and LiNa fly ash (FA) obtained through a simple solid-state synthesis was investigated for the pyrolysis of Isochrysis sp. microalgae using a fixed bed reactor at 500 °C. While both LiNa-FA and Na-FA catalysts reduced the bio-oil yield and increased char and gas production, LiNa-FA was found to enhance the quality of the resulting bio-oil by decreasing its oxygen content (−25 wt.%), increasing paraffins and olefins and decreasing its acidity. The deoxygenation activity of LiNa-FA was attributed to the presence of weak and mild base sites, which enabled dehydration, decarboxylation, ketonisation, and cracking to form olefins. The bio-oil generated with LiNa-FA contained higher amounts of alkanes, alkenes, and carbonated esters, indicating its capacity to chemisorb and partially desorb CO2 under the studied conditions. These findings suggest that LiNa-FA catalysts could be a cost-effective alternative to acidic zeolites for in situ deoxygenation of microalgae to biofuels.
Original languageEnglish
Article number1122
JournalCatalysts
Volume13
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 19 Jul 2023

Keywords

  • Isochrisissp
  • bio-oil
  • catalyst
  • deoxygenation
  • lithium
  • pyrolysis
  • sodium

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • General Environmental Science
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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