Hollow ZSM-5 encapsulated with single Ga-atoms for the catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass waste

The development of efficient metal-zeolite bifunctional catalysts for catalytic fast pyrolysis(CFP) of biomass waste is highly desirable for bioenergy and renewable biofuel production.However,conventional metal-loaded zeolites often suffer from metal sintering during pyrolysis and are thus inactivated.In this study,single-site Ga-functionalized hollow ZSM-5(GaO_x@HS-Z5) was synthesized via an impregnationdissolution-recrystallization strategy without H_(2) reduction.The Ga atom was coordinated to four oxygen atoms in HS-Z5 frameworks.Benefitting from the highly dispersed single-Ga atoms and hollow zeolite framework,3GaO_x@HS-Z5 performed the best in producing hydrocarbon-rich bio-oil compared to impregnated 3GaO_x/HS-Z5 and H_(2)-reduced 3Ga@HS-Z5 in the maize straw CFP.In particular,3GaO_x@HS-Z5 delivered the highest bio-oil yield(23.6 wt%) and hydrocarbon selectivity(49.4 area%).3GaO_x@HS-Z5 also retained its structural integrity and catalytic activity after five pyrolysis-regeneration cycles,demonstrating its advantage in practical biomass CFP.The elimination of H_(2) reduction during the synthesis of catalyst provides an additional advantage for simplifying the CFP process and reducing operating costs.The retained Ga micro-environment and anti-sintering properties were unique for 3GaO_x@HS-Z5,as severe metal sintering occurred during pyrolysis for other metals(e.g.,NiO_x,ZnO_x,FeO_x,and CoO_x) that encapsulated HS-Z5.

Evaluation of hollow fiber T-type zeolite membrane modules for ethanol dehydration

This work presents the design of hollow fiber T-type zeolite membrane modules with different geometric configurations. The module performances were evaluated by pervaporation dehydration of ethanol/water mixtures. Strong concentration polarization was found for the modules with big membrane bundles. The concentration polarization was enhanced at high temperature due to the higher water permeation flux. The increase of feed flow could improve water permeation flux for the membrane modules with small membrane bundle.Computational fluid dynamics was used to visualize the flow field distribution inside of the modules with different configurations. The membrane module with seven bundles exhibited highest separation efficiency due to the uniform distribution of flow rate. The packing density could be 10 times higher than that of the tubular membrane module. The hollow fiber membrane module exhibited good stability for ethanol dehydration.

Directional design and synthesis of high-yield hollow Fe-MFI zeolite encapsulating ultra-small Fe_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles by using mother liquid

How to directionally design the hollow zeolite via a green route is of great significance. Here, we successfully synthesized the hollow Fe-silicate-1 encapsulated ultra-small Fe_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles (2.5 nm) with higher yield (85.2%) by mother liquid than traditional dissolution-recrystallization for the first time, which was achieved by precisely regulating the number and distribution of defects in zeolite and cleverly utilizing the TPAOH and nuclei in mother liquor. The effects of synthetic temperature, synthetic period and addition amount of parent zeolite on the formation of hollow zeolite have been investigated and the effect of synthetic conditions on the defects in parent zeolite has been also firstly quantified. The corresponding formation mechanism has been proposed. The abundant inner defects provided by the zeolite synthesized at 130 °C for 1 day and large amount of TPAOH remaining in mother liquid are conducive to the formation of hollow zeolite. Meanwhile, both parent zeolite and nuclei (4-, 5-member rings and structure units) in mother liquid obtained at 130 °C play the crucial roles in enhancing the zeolite yield. Notably, Fe_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles could decompose into small fragments by the interaction with nuclei in mother liquid. Partial ultra-small Fe_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles would be encapsulated in cavity and the rest could be inserted in the zeolite framework, which is significantly different from the conventional dissolution-recrystallization mechanism. The obtained encapsulated catalyst shows the superior catalytic performance and stability in phenol and tetracycline degradation reactions.

Post-synthesis and structural evolution of hollow titanium silicalite-1 with solvent-free method

Generating hollow structure inside titanium silicalite-1(TS-1)is a widely used method to improve its liquid-phase oxidation catalytic performance in industry.However,traditional dissolution-recrystallization method usually required a large amount of aqueous solution of organic template,leading to unfavorable polluted waste,low production efficiency,and high manufacture cost.Here,a facile and environmental friendly strategy was proposed for the post-synthesis of hollow TS-1 zeolite with a solventfree method utilizing NH4HCO3 and tetrapropylammounium bromide as selective etching agents,which reduced the usage of organic template and avoided the liquid waste.The high crystallinity,the microporous structure,and the active Ti sites were preserved at a high product yield(>93%).The formation mechanism of hollow structure was also investigated by exploring effects of different reactants and experimental parameters.Meanwhile,the obtained hollow TS-1 showed an outstanding performance in the epoxidation of 1-hexene in comparison to the parent zeolite.