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Development of Biomass-Based Cellulose Nanowhiskers and its Application as Catalyst Support in Converting Syngas to Biofuels

The objectives of this research were to develop the best methods for cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) preparation from raw biomass materials and the feasibility to perform CNWs as Fe3+ catalyst support in converting syngas to biofuels. Raw kenaf bast and switchgrass were initially pretreated with dilute NaOH followed by dilute H2SO4. High yields of alpha-cellulose were obtained. Hemicellulose, ash, and most lignin were removed during pretreatment. Preparation of CNWs after pretreatment was then conducted via H2SO4 hydrolysis. The most efficient hydrolysis condition was determined as H2SO4 concentration through orthogonal experiments. In contrast with pure cellulose fibers, CNWs supported Fe3+ catalyst applied in converting syngas to biofuels showed shorter stabilization time and higher C4+ product selectivity. With the increase of reaction temperature to 310°C, CO and H2 could reach their peak conversion rates of 83.4% and 72.1%, while the maximum selectivity of CO2 was 41.1%.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-2449
Date14 December 2013
CreatorsShi, Xiaodan
PublisherScholars Junction
Source SetsMississippi State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceTheses and Dissertations

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