Catalytic Upgrading of Pyrolytic Bio-vapours upon the Modification of Zn-bearing Waste Scrap Tyre Char and Zinc Sulphate Catalysts

This thesis aims to upgrade the pyrolytic bio-vapours at 300-600C. We used scrap tyre char as catalysts first, because it is rich in Zn and S which are commonly used as catalysts in the biomass conversion process. Our concept was proved that tyre char can selectively crack the bio-vapours into smaller oxygenates, especially furfural. To study the catalytic mechanism, we tested different model compounds and modified tyre char catalysts. We found ZnSO4 is the strongest acidic active site compared to ZnS and ZnO. Based on these findings, we used pure ZnSO4 and Pd-modified ZnSO4 to get a higher furfural selectivity.