Catalytic Effect of Fe3O4 on Algal Bio-Crude Production

What is it about?

We report a comprehensive quantitative study of the production of refined bio-crudes via a controlled hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process using Ulva fasciata macroalgae (UFMA) as biomass and ultrananocrystalline Fe3O4 (UNCFO) as catalyst. We show that the bio-crude yield and carbon/oxygen ratios increase as the amount of UNCFO increases, reaching a peak value of 32% at 1.25 wt% (a 9% increase when compared to the catalyst-free yield). Their relative abundance changes as a function of catalyst concentration. The as- produced bio-crudes are free of iron species, which accumulate in the generated bio-chars. The energy recovery values are sensitive to the catalyst loading, with a threshold loading of 1.25 wt%. The UNCFO not only influences the chemical nature of the resulting bio-crudes and bio-chars, but also the amount of fixed carbons in the solid residues. This study brings forth new avenues to advance the highly-pure bio-crude production employing active, heterogeneous catalyst materials that are recoverable and recyclable for continuous thermochemi- cal reactions.

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