Abstract
We conducted catalytic hydropyrolysis of beetle-killed trees: Pine, Ash tree, and Redbay in a micro-pyrolyzer (Py/GC–MS) and investigated the performance of heterogeneous catalysts like HZSM-5, NiMo-HZSM- 5, and NiRe-HZSM- 5. We also investigated the effects of temperature, catalyst-to- biomass ratio, and hydrogen pressure on product yield. Our findings reveal that aromatic yields increase with temperature and catalyst-to- biomass ratio but decline at higher hydrogen pressures; additionally, higher catalyst acidity enhances both total hydrocarbon production and selectivity toward C7–C8 aromatics, with each feedstock exhibiting distinct optimal conditions. The type of metal doped on the HZSM-5 zeolite plays an important role in the process. Under the tested conditions (500°C, 21 bar, and catalyst-to- biomass ratio 10:1), Molybdenum (Mo) outperformed Rhenium (Re) for promoting alkane formation. The NiRe-HZSM- 5 catalyst produced only a modest yield of alkanes (0.7 wt.%) compared to the higher yield (10.0 wt.%) observed with NiMo-HZSM- 5. Overall, NiMo-HZSM- 5 was the optimum catalyst for the production of alkanes. HZSM-5 is the optimum catalyst for the production of aromatic hydrocarbons. To optimize the operating parameters and enhance aromatic yield, we employed a response surface methodology (RSM). The analysis revealed that the maximum product yield of 35.0% is obtained at 570°C, 14 bar, and catalyst-to- biomass ratio of 14:1. The highest aromatic yield of 28.3% is obtained at 562°C, 14 bar, and catalyst-to- biomass ratio of 13:1. The highest alkane yield is 5.7%, obtained at 400°C, 14 bar, and catalyst-to- biomass ratio of 8.6:1.
Description
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2026 The Author(s). GCB Bioenergy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Publisher
Wiley
Date of publication
2026
Language
english
Persistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/5170
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Makinde, Oluwanisola; Resende, Fernando L.P.; Asama, Michael; and Gomez, Demian F., "Catalytic Hydropyrolysis of Beetle Killed Trees for the Production of Transportation Biofuels" (2026). Jasper Department of Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations. Paper 7.
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/5170