Investigation of the Hydrocarbon Pool in Fe modified ZSM-5 catalysts during Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis of Furan

Zeolites such as ZSM-5 are effective catalysts for the catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) of lignocellulosic biomass to high value monoaromatic hydrocarbons e.g., benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) that can act as drop-in substitutes for fossil-derived chemicals. Studies using model compounds have shown that a hydrocarbon pool is formed during CFP, and that Fe sites promote the formation of monoaromatic species.1 However, direct observation of the hydrocarbon pool is challenging since formed intermediates are dispersed in the microporous solid zeolite, and the electronic interaction between Fe sites and the formed hydrocarbon pool remains unstudied. We propose to perform operando C K-edge X-ray Raman and simultaneous Fe Kβ and valence to core emission spectroscopy using the newly available Von-Hamos spectrometer, in order to probe ZSM-5 and Fe modified ZSM-5 catalysts for insight into CFP hydrocarbon pool chemistry.