Catalytic upgrading of xylan over mesoporous Y catalyst.

In-situ catalytic cracking of xylan, a model compound of hemicellulose, was carried out using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry over mesoporous Y for the first time. Experiments were conducted at three different temperatures, 400 degrees C, 450 degrees C, and 500 degrees C, to investigate the effect of reaction temperature. Three different biomass-to-catalyst ratios, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3, were tested at 500 degrees C to examine the effect of catalyst dose. In addition, the catalytic activity of mesoporous Y was compared with that of Al-MCM-41. The catalysts used were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, temperature programmed desorption of NH3, and X-ray diffraction. The main pyrolysis products of xylan were acids, hydrocarbons, phenolics, oxygenates, aromatics, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Mesoporous Y, which has acid sites with larger quantity and stronger acidity than those of Al-MCM-41, was shown to enhance the quality of bio-oil to a larger extent, producing a larger quantity of high-value-added products, such as aromatics and furans.