Microwave-assisted Catalytic Pyrolysis with Char-Supported Fe-Mn Catalysts: A New Method for Utilizing Furfural Residue

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effects of bimetallic-modified biochar catalysts on the products obtained from microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis (MACP) of furfural residue (FR). Bimetallic modified biochar catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method with FeCl3 and MnCl2. The results showed that iron (Fe) had a greater erosion effect on the pore structure of the catalyst. Moreover, the presence of bimetals increased the contents of H2 and CO2, decreased the contents of CO and CH4 in the pyrolysis gas, with Fe demonstrating significantly higher selectivity for H2 compared to Mn. The bimetallic modification additionally increased the relative content of phenols, with 2F6M (xFyM, where x and y represent the weight percentages of Fe and Mn) reaching the highest value at 62.22 % with a total loading mass of 8 wt%. Nevertheless, the catalytic effect of the catalyst was influenced by the pore structure, resulting in the lowest phenolic content for 4F4M. At a loading mass of 2 wt%, the catalytic effect of Fe modification surpassed that of Mn. Furthermore, as the Mn content increased, the catalytic effect became more pronounced, particularly when the loading mass exceeded 4 wt%. The results demonstrated that the bimetallic modification effectively enhanced the catalytic performance of the catalyst, promoting the generation of both phenols and H2.