Nannochloropsis algae pyrolysis with ceria-based catalysts for production of high-quality bio-oils

Tevfik Aysu, Aimaro Sanna*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

99 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Pyrolysis of Nannochloropsis was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor with newly prepared ceria based catalysts. The effects of pyrolysis parameters such as temperature and catalysts on product yields were investigated. The amount of bio-char, bio-oil and gas products, as well as the compositions of the resulting bio-oils was determined. The results showed that both temperature and catalyst had significant effects on conversion of Nannochloropsis into solid, liquid and gas products. The highest bio-oil yield (23.28wt%) and deoxygenation effect was obtained in the presence of Ni-Ce/Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> as catalyst at 500°C. Ni-Ce/Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> was able to retain 59% of the alga starting energy in the bio-oil, compared to only 41% in absence of catalyst. Lower content of acids and oxygen in the bio-oil, higher aliphatics (62%), combined with HHV show promise for production of high-quality bio-oil from Nannochloropsis via Ni-Ce/Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> catalytic pyrolysis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)108-116
Number of pages9
JournalBioresource Technology
Volume194
Early online date13 Jul 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2015

Keywords

  • Bio-oil
  • Catalyst
  • Ceria
  • Nannochloropsis
  • Pyrolysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Waste Management and Disposal

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