Catalytic conversion of waste particle board to bio-oil using nanoporous catalyst

The catalytic pyrolysis of waste wood including the particle board was examined by pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to produce bio-oil. Three different catalysts with a nanoporous structure, Al-MCM-48, Meso-MFI, and Pt-Meso-MFI, were used and their performances were compared. When MCM-48 was used, the quality of the bio-oil product was better than that prepared by non-catalytic pyrolysis but the improvement was limited due to its weak acid sites. On the other hand, Meso-MFI, which has both an MFI structure and strong acid sites, exhibited much better cracking ability and higher selectivity for aromatics. Moreover, Pt-impregnation on Meso-MFI resulted in an even higher selectivity for aromatics and phenolics, which are important raw materials in various petroleum chemical processes.