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Catalytic hydrotreatment is a promising technology to convert pyrolysis liquids into intermediates with improved properties. Here, we report a catalyst screening study on the catalytic hydrotreatment of pyrolysis liquids using bi- and tri-metallic nickel-based catalysts in a batch autoclave (initial hydrogen pressure of 140 bar, 350 °C, 4 h). The catalysts are characterized by a high nickel metal loading (41 to 57 wt%), promoted by Cu, Pd, Mo, and/or combination thereof, in a SiO2, SiO2-ZrO2, or SiO2-Al2O3 matrix. The hydrotreatment results were compared with a benchmark Ru/C catalyst. The results revealed that the monometallic Ni catalyst is the least active and that particularly the use of Mo as the promoter is favored when considering activity and product properties. For Mo promotion, a product oil with improved properties viz. the highest H/C molar ratio and the lowest coking tendency was obtained. A drawback when using Mo as the promoter is the relatively high methane yield, which is close to that for Ru/C. 1H, 13C-NMR, heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), and two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) of the product oils reveal that representative component classes of the sugar fraction of pyrolysis liquids like carbonyl compounds (aldehydes and ketones and carbohydrates) are converted to a large extent. The pyrolytic lignin fraction is less reactive, though some degree of hydrocracking is observed.

Catalytic hydrotreatment is an attractive technology to convert fast pyrolysis oil to stabilized oil products for co processing in conventional crude oil refinery units. We report here the use of novel bimetallic NiCu- and NiPd-based (Picula) catalysts characterized by a high Ni content (29-58 wt %) and prepared using a sol gel method with SiO2, La2O3, kaolin, ZrO2, and combinations thereof as the support, for the catalytic hydrotreatment of fast pyrolysis oil. The experiments were performed in a batch autoclave (1 h at 150 degrees C, 3 h at 350 degrees C, and 200 bar initial pressure at 350 degrees C). The catalyst with the highest nickel loading (58 wt % Ni) promoted with Pd (0.7 wt %) was the most active, yielding oil products with improved properties compared to the crude pyrolysis oil (lower oxygen content, higher solubility in hydrocarbons, and less tendency for coke formation). For all Picula catalysts, except the ZrO2-based catalysts, methane formation was considerably lower than for Ru/C, the benchmark catalyst in catalytic hydrotreatment of fast pyrolysis oil. To anticipate possible catalyst deactivation at very long times on stream, catalyst regeneration studies were performed using thermogravimetric analysis. Analyses of the regenerated catalysts (X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer Emmett Teller surface area) showed the occurrence of active metal agglomeration.

a b s t r a c t The development of catalysts possessing high activity and high stability in the catalytic hydrotreatment of pyrolysis oils (bio-oil) is of great interest. NiCu bimetallic catalytic systems are very attractive for use in hydrotreatment process due to their low price and high activity in hydrogenation, hydrodeoxygena- tion and hydrocracking reactions. In the present work P-/Mo-containing agents were used to modify bimetallic catalytic system NiCu/SiO2-ZrO2 to improve its mechanical strength and stability in acidic medium. The modified catalysts were tested in hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of guaiacol—a well-known model compound of bio-oil. HDO process has been carried out in an autoclave at 320 ◦C, 17 MPa initial hydrogen pressure, reaction time 1 h. It was shown that phosphorus and molybdenum addition to the catalysts composition results in the decrease of guaiacol conversion and deoxygenation degree. The yield of undesirable gaseous reaction products (mainly methane) and coking of the catalyst were lower for the modified catalysts in contrast to the initial NiCu/SiO2-ZrO2 system. The catalysts treatment in glacial acetic acid at 118 ◦C showed that modification by P and Mo gives a significant improvement of catalysts stability in acidic medium (mass loss decreases from 53 wt.% to 1 wt.%). Also a significant improvement of bulk crushing strength has been observed for PMo-modified samples (from 0.5 MPa to 1.2 MPa).

The hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol, a compound modeling bio-oil, has been investigated. Experiments have been carried out in an autoclave at 280, 320, and 360°C and an initial hydrogen pressure of about 17 MPa using a Ni-Cu/SiO2-ZrO2-La2O3 catalyst. A formal kinetic model of the first stage of guaiacol hydrodeoxygenation is suggested. It is assumed that the reaction is first-order with respect to both guaiacol and hydrogen. The model takes into account the deactivation of the catalyst and the decrease in the concentration of the deactivating compounds due to their hydrogenation. A possible cause of deactivation is the formation of coke and heavy intermediates, as well as the competitive adsorption of intermediate products of guaiacol conversion on the active sites of the catalyst. The parameters with which the model satisfactorily fits the observed dependence of the guaiacol concentration on the reaction time have been determined.

A series of Ni-containing catalysts supported on different materials has been tested in the hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol, a compound modeling the products of biomass fast pyrolysis. The reaction has been carried out in an autoclave at 320°C and a hydrogen pressure of 17 MPa. The main guaiacol hydrodeoxygenation products are cyclohexane, 1-methylcyclohexane-1,2-diol, and cyclohexanone (which result from aromatic ring reduction). A guaiacol conversion scheme explaining the formation of the main products is suggested. The highest activity is shown by the Ni-containing catalysts on SiO2 and SiO2-ZrO2 supports prepared by the sol-gel method. According to X-ray diffraction and electron microscopic data, the high activity of these catalysts is due to the high concentration of dispersed nickel as reduced films on the surface of the silicate structures. The catalysts offer promise for refining the biomass fast pyrolysis products (bio-oil) into hydrocarbon fuel.