Bio-oil production from low-rank coal by catalytic microwave pyrolysis using reservoir rock and activated carbon catalyst

To manage environmental challenges, clean coal technology is still urgently required. Low-rank coal (LRC) dominates the global coal industry. An improved method to turn LRC into clean energy, such as biooil, is microwave pyrolysis (MP). Low heating efficiency and the dominance of heavy tars in the end products are the key pyrolysis problems, nevertheless. In this investigation, MP was employed to treat LRC using the catalysts and receptors RC+Fe2(SO4)3 and AC+Fe2(SO4)3, respectively. The distribution of the product and the process variables (time, temperature, and power) were evaluated. According to the results, RC+Fe2(SO4)3 and AC+Fe2(SO4)3 changed the distribution of the product by increasing up the rate of temperature rise and ultimate temperature of MP. Bio-oil produced from MP+1.0%RC+24.6%Fe2(SO4)3 was 40.0%, 4.4% higher than the conventional pyrolysis (CP), when compared to CP at the same conditions (620 °C and 60 min). Using MP+1.0%AC+24.6%Fe2(SO4)3, 44.4% bio-oil was generated while there was an 8.8% increase overall. The maximum bio-oil production with 1.0%RC+24.6%Fe2(SO4)3 was observed at 60 min, 620°C, and 600W, producing 41.9% bio-oil. The maximum bio-oil production was seen using 1.0%AC+24.6%Fe2(SO4)3 at 120 min, 620 °C, and 450W, producing 49.2% bio-oil. The outcomes of the studies could serve as a foundation to produce clean fuels in the future that use LRC to lower carbon emissions globally