Research on the mechanism of hydrogen production by catalytic fast co-pyrolysis of cotton stalks and polypropylene: An experimental and theoretical study

Abstract

The utilization of solid wastes such as biomass and plastics for energy production holds significant practical importance. This study conducts experimental research on microwave-assisted catalytic fast co-pyrolysis (co-CFP) of cotton stalks (CS) and polypropylene (PP) over alkali-modified HZSM-5 and Ni @ alkali-modified HZSM-5 for hydrogen production. The hydrogen production mechanism is carried out through experiments, reaction kinetics, and response surface method (RSM). The experimental results indicate that the optimal temperature for the co-CFP of CS and PP over 5%Ni-HT1.0 is 550 °C, and the hydrogen concentration is 37.9 vol%. The synergistic effect between CS and PP is explored by calculating comprehensive pyrolysis index. The activation energy is analyzed using the reaction kinetics Model-free integration methods (FWO and KAS), as well as model-fitting methods (CR). When the ratio of CS to PP is high (CS:PP = 1.0:0.5), the activation energy for the co-pyrolysis decreased. The addition of catalysts also has an important impact on the reduction of activation energy. By utilizing RSM to analyze the interactive effects on the generation of H₂. This study provides a new approach for the co-pyrolysis of biomass such and plastics for hydrogen production.