Bi-functional and bi-metallic catalytic solvo-hydrothermal liquefaction for upgrading hydrocarbon of phenol-rich oil from kraft black liquor lignin

This study primarily aimed to enhance the hydrocarbon of a solvo-hydrothermal liquefaction (S-HTL) process initially extracting phenolic-rich oil. To catalyze the current process, HZSM-5 zeolite with its modifications were applied to S-HTL. Ni 2 P was first introduced to zeolite forming bifunctional catalyst and further coating it with either Co, Mo, or Zn to create bimetallic catalyst. The analysis showed that the zeolite structure did not change after the modifications. The acid sites on the catalyst were found to be principally responsible for the hydrodeoxygenation upgrading the oil yield, biomass conversion, and hydrocarbon generation. Catalytic HTL also produced compounds not detected in non-catalytic S-HTL which appeared to be largely promoted by the catalyst with Ni 2 P. Additionally, oil output, biomass conversion, and hydrocarbon yield were all substantially increased by catalyst (supplemented by Mo) about 20 %, 5 %, and 15 %, respectively. Moreover, Mo-supplemented catalyst with pre-treatment could be used for 5 more cycles with insignificant oil conversion reduction. Overall, the study synthesized bi-functional and bi-metallic catalysts and applied it to S-HTL improving the yield of generated oil and increasing hydrocarbon production.