Fast Catalytic Pyrolysis of Dilaurin in the Presence of Sodium Carbonate Alone or Combined with Alumina

2019 
The objective of this work was to study the fast pyrolysis of a diglyceride intermediate compound during the conversion of triglycerides to fatty acids, esters and/or hydrocarbons. Dilaurin was selected as a model compound. Pyrolysis was conducted in a micro-pyrolyzer coupled to GC-MS equipment at 500, 550 and 600 °C for 15 s in the presence of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) as the catalyst. Results were compared to pyrolysis data using γ-Al2O3 as a catalyst. At 600 °C with Na2CO3 almost total conversion of diglyceride was obtained, with the formation of 41.3% hydrocarbons (C3 to C13). In the same conditions using alumina as a catalyst 68.5% of hydrocarbons were obtained. Na2CO3 presented itself as an efficient feedstock modifier, allowing pre-cracking and partial deoxygenation of the load. The use of the Na2CO3 and γ-Al2O3 conjugated system in layers reduced the fatty acid content in the products, increasing both the reagent conversion and the hydrocarbon variety (C3 to C23). This work suggests that the use of a double bed catalytic reactor is suitable for performing a deoxygenating pretreatment and producing hydrocarbons compatible with current liquid fuels, being potentially useful for more complex raw materials such as those from biomass treatments.
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