Effect of preparation method on structure characteristics and fast pyrolysis of biomass with Fe/CaO catalysts

• The Fe/CaO catalysts were prepared by impregnation and mechanical mixing methods.
• The effects of preparation methods on the pyrolytic products were studied.
• The im-Fe/CaO catalyst displayed better performances than the mix-Fe/CaO catalyst.
• The higher activity is attributed to the stronger metal support interaction.

The Fe/CaO catalysts were prepared by impregnation and mechanical mixing methods, named im-Fe/CaO and mix-Fe/CaO catalysts respectively. They were employed for fast pyrolysis of biomass by analytic pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) experiments. It was found that the im-Fe/CaO catalyst displayed better capabilities in improving the properties of bio-oils than the mix-Fe/CaO catalyst. The im-Fe/CaO catalyst was more effective in reducing the oxygenated compounds, such as acids, aldehydes and ketones, and transforming them to various hydrocarbons. Based on the results of structure characteristics and catalytic activities, it can be deduced that the higher activity of the im-Fe/CaO catalyst is attributed to the stronger metal support interaction between Fe and CaO support, which is beneficial to prevent Fe sintering in the fast pyrolysis of biomass.