Electrocatalysis of Pyrolytic Bio-Oil Mixtures: Model Compound Studies and Simulations

Le résumé fourni par la source

Plant biomass can serve as a domestic fuel source that creates revenue for farmers and forest landowners. Though a number of different bioenergy systems can make hydrocarbon fuels, many are neither carbon efficient nor capable of significant fossil fuel displacement. Systems capable of large-scale fossil fuel displacement while also net sequestering carbon are desperately needed to slow climate change and support regenerative agriculture. One system with these desirable outcomes consists of decentralized biomass fast pyrolysis and electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) followed by centralized hydroprocessing to make electrobiofuels. This approach requires that ECH be able to saturate the liquid mixtures, known as bio-oil, made from fast pyrolysis. However, bio-oils are notoriously difficult to upgrade, owing in part to the number of different organic constituents in the mixture, spanning alcohols, aldehydes, furans, ketones, organic acids, phenols, and oligomeric cell wall components that are not completely deconstructed. Model mixtures are particularly useful for gaining insights into how organic constituents interact and compete on catalytic cathode surfaces. When 2-furfural and 4-propylphenol were subjected to ECH, inhibition of 4-propylphenol hydrogenation is observed. Towards elucidating mechanism, quantum chemical simulations for each individual component were performed to understand adsorption and reaction pathways. Lessons learned are important for designing decentralized systems that are effectively stabilize pyrolysis bio-oil. Early results from using catalytic pyrolysis bio-oil, which is relatively low in aldehydes, show that ECH converts alkylated monoaromatics into alkylated cyclohexanes.

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