Obtention and Products Distribution of Bioliquid from Catalytic Pyrolysis of Tomato Plant Waste

The use of tomato plant residues (i.e., stems, leaves, etc.) as a substrate forcatalytic pyrolysis of biomass was investigated. A comprehensive study was conductedto investigate the impact of catalysts on the performance of different pyrolysis fractions(i.e., gas, biosolid, waxes, and bioliquid) as well as the distribution of products withinthe bioliquid. The catalysts employed in this study were derived from two distinct typesof zirconia. The first type was synthesized by a conventional sol-gel method, while thesecond type was prepared with a modified method aimed at improving the presence ofmesopores. This modification involved the incorporation of Pluronic 123. These materialswere designated ZrO2 and ZrO2P25, respectively. Both types of zirconia were used assupports for tungstophosphoric acid (H3PW12O40, TPA), a heteropolyacid with a Kegginstructure, in the preparation of catalysts with strong acid sites. The results demonstratedthat the bioliquid yield of the non-catalytic fast pyrolysis of tomato plant waste wasapproximately 23% and that the obtained bioliquid contained a wide variety of molecules,which were detected and quantified by GC-MS. In the presence of the catalysts, both thebioliquid yield and the distribution of bioliquid products were substantially modified.Furthermore, the possible sugar degradation pathways leading to the formation of themolecules present in the pyrolytic bioliquids were thoroughly examined. The resultsobtained from this study indicate that the physicochemical characteristics of the catalysts,specifically their pore size and acidity, have a significant impact on the selectivity of thecatalytic processes towards valuable molecules, including anhydro-sugars and furanicderivatives such as furfural and furfuryl alcohol.