Preparation of Ni/Zr-MOF catalyst and its application in pyrolysis of biomass

The catalytic co-pyrolysis of wet sewage sludge and wheat straw for hydrogen-rich gas production was experimentally investigated in a fixed bed reactor with Ni/Zr-MOF catalyst. The Ni/Zr-MOF catalyst was characterized by ultimate analysis, XRF, TG, XRD, SEM and BET. The effects of reactor temperature, straw content and Ni loading on the composition and yield of gasification gases were explored. The experimental results indicate that the mesoporous Zr-MOF support particles are octahedral with a specific surface area of 805.93 m²/g and an average pore diameter of 20.14 nm. The Ni/Zr-MOF catalyst has high thermal stability and catalytic activity. Compared with the pyrolysis without catalyst, the H₂ yield increases significantly from 0.39 mol/kg to 12.65 mol/kg using Ni/Zr-MOF catalyst at 500 ℃. After reuse, the carbon deposits are formed on the surface of catalyst. With the increase in reactor temperature, the catalytic activity decreases gradually due to the agglomeration of the catalyst. Therefore, the Ni/Zr-MOF catalyst is suitable for catalytic pyrolysis of biomass at lower temperature.