Fuel gas production from catalytic pyrolysis of palm oil wastes using the nano-nio/γ-Al2O3 catalyst

The catalytic pyrolysis of palm oil wastes for fuel gas production was experimentally investigated in a combined fixed bed reactor using the developed nano-NiO/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst. The results indicated that the nano-NiO/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst had greater activity for the cracking of tar in vapor and of hydrocarbons and a higher hydrogen yield than the commercial nickel-based catalyst in catalytic pyrolysis of palm oil wastes. Meanwhile, a series of experiments have been performed to explore the effects of temperature and biomass particle size on gas composition and gas yield. The experiments demonstrated that temperature was the most important factor in this process, higher temperature contributed to more hydrogen production and gas yield. It was also shown that a smaller particle was more favorable for gas quality and yield.