Study on catalysis by molecular sieves for aromatic hydrocarbons production via fast pyrolysis of bamboo-plastic waste

Using bamboo powder and polyethylene (PE) as primary raw materials, a bamboo-plastic composite (BPC) was synthesized and subjected to pyrolysis analysis. A BPC with a bamboo powder to PE mass ratio of 4:6 was used as the feedstock to compare the effects of four different molecular sieve catalysts on product yield and composition during catalytic pyrolysis. Results indicated that the pore structure, pore size, and acidity of the catalysts exhibit a clear structure-activity relationship with their catalytic performance. The introduction of molecular sieve catalysts significantly improved the distribution of pyrolysis products and effectively increased the yield of aromatic hydrocarbons. Among the four catalysts, HZSM-5 (36) demonstrated superior catalytic efficiency in aromatic hydrocarbon formation. Further investigation into the effects of catalyst loading and pyrolysis temperature revealed that a catalyst-to-BPC mass ratio of 1:10 and a pyrolysis temperature of 650°C optimized process efficiency.