Kinetic Analysis of Hydrolysis and Hydrothermal Conversion of Methyl Cellulose to Dodecane

Environmental pollution due to emission of greenhouse gases and increasing global energy demand are some of the concerns associated Analysis with the use of fossil fuels. These concerns have triggered the exploration of sustainable and efficient methods for renewable energy production. One such method is the conversion of cellulosic biomass to hydrocarbon fuels using hydrogen bronze metals. Cellulose is the most abundant biomass globally, and thus its utilization can lead to more sustainable energy production. Previous studies have reported the conversion of cellulose to hydrocarbons at high temperatures and hydrogen pressure. This work focuses on the conversion of methyl cellulose using hydrogen metal oxides. Our approach employs ASTM E3417-24 hydrolysis of methyl cellulose, followed by its reaction with hydrogen bronze. Toluene is used as an extraction solvent for hydrocarbon products. The extracted hydrocarbons are analyzed using GC-MS for product identification and GC-FID for quantification. The primary hydrocarbon detected product is dodecane.