Mechanistic insights into Ga-modified hollow ZSM-5 catalyzed fast pyrolysis of cassava residue

The preparation of valuable chemicals by catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) is a promising and environmentally-friendly approach for the selective upgrading of waste cassava residue (CR). This work systematically investigated the conversion mechanism and kinetic characteristics of CR pyrolysis over Ga-modified hollow ZSM-5, for the purpose of enhancing aromatics production. The hollow configuration significantly regulated the structural characteristics of ZSM-5, thus facilitating the diffusion, deoxygenation, and aromatization of pyrolysis intermediates. The incorporation of Ga species and generated Brønsted acid sites remarkably accelerated the reaction rate and suppressed the carbonization at high temperatures, through enhancing the end scission of starch and cellulose components. With the aid of 5Ga/ZSM-H, the relative content of aromatics achieved 95.4% at 700 °C, and still maintained over 92.5% even after 5 cycles. The ring-opening and retro-aldol degradation were identified as crucial steps for the production of ketones and aldehydes separately, which were further transformed into hydrocarbon pools by deoxygenation and subsequently converted into aromatics via Diels-Alder reaction. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that the use of 5Ga/ZSM-H lowered the average activation energy of CR pyrolysis by 14.8%, particularly for the initial pyrolysis stage. Moreover, the plausible mechanism for aromatics formation from Ga-modified hollow ZSM-5 catalyzed CR pyrolysis was proposed.