In-situ and ex-situ catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose to produce furans over red mud-supported transition metal catalysts

The green strategy of catalytic pyrolysis of biomass to produce valuable fuels or chemicals can effectively alleviate the energy and environmental problems associated with the widespread use of fossil energy. In this study, a catalytic system for the production of furans from pyrolysis of cellulose was reported by using red mud (RM) supported transition metals (Cu/RM, Co/RM, Ni/RM and Mo/RM) as catalysts. The results show that Co/RM has superior catalytic performance for producing furans, while Mo/RM has a weaker effect among the four catalysts. The loading of Mo also increases the peak area of furans and aromatics. Cu/RM could promote the formation of ketones and Ni/RM could further convert furans to aromatics. The effect of in-situ and ex-situ catalytic pyrolysis on the formation of products was investigated. The results show that whether in-situ or ex-situ catalytic pyrolysis, Co/RM has superior catalytic activity for the production of furans. The difference is that the peak area of furans in in-situ pyrolysis is 37.98 × 106 / mg and that in ex-situ pyrolysis is 58.89 × 106 / mg. Moreover, the in-situ coupled with ex-situ pyrolysis further enhance the furans production with 62.35 × 106 / mg.