RENEWABLE HYDROCARBONS FROM CHLORELLA SP. MICROALGAE AS SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY FOR CO2 MITIGATION THROUGH CATALYTIC PYROLYSIS

Flash catalytic pyrolysis of biomass from Chlorella sp. microalgae cultivated with a simulated industrial flue gas was investigated to generate a bio-oil with improved characteristics. Flash pyrolysis proceeded at 500 °C in an analytical micro-pyrolyzer coupled to a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) instrument. The pyrolysis vapors were directed to a catalytic bed at 500°C, housing attapulgite under a 1/5 biomass-to-catalyst ratio, to evaluate its efficacy for producing a hydrocarbon-rich bio-oil. The low-cost catalyst (attapulgite) promoted the deoxygenation of condensable pyrolysis products from Chlorella sp. biomass, resulting in improved aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations compared to thermal pyrolysis. The low-cost catalyst exhibited high selectivity towards gasoline-equivalent hydrocarbons, increasing its concentration by more than two-fold. The hydrocarbon-rich volatiles obtained can be useful in different segments of the chemical industry and can also be used as aromatic fuel additives for formulating low-carbon biofuels.