Catalytic pyrolysis-GC/MS of lignin from several sources

Lignin from four different sources, extracted by various methods, were pyrolyzed at 650 °C using analytical pyrolysis methods (Py-GC/MS). Pyrolysis was carried out in the absence and presence of two heterogeneous catalysts, an acidic zeolite (HZSM-5) catalyst and a mixed metal oxide catalyst (CoO/MoO3). Non-catalytic Py-GC/MS was used to identify the lignin as characterized by their H-, G- or S-lignin makeup and also served as the control basis to evaluate the effect of the said catalysts on the production of aromatic hydrocarbons from these lignin sources. Experiments show that the selectivity to particular aromatic hydrocarbons varies with the composition of the lignin for both catalysts. The major pathway for hydrocarbon production over HZSM-5 is likely increased depolymerization efficiency that releases and converts the aliphatic linkers of lignin to olefins followed by aromatization. Simple phenols produced from the deconstruction of the lignin polymer are likely to be a source of zeolite deactivation. The CoO/MoO3 is likely to produce aromatic hydrocarbons through a direct deoxygenation of methoxyphenol units.