Huili Dou , Yongjia Wang , Zezhou Guo , Zheheng Zhu , Tianqi Wang , Gen Li , Xiaodong Fu
{"title":"Analysis of the synergy of small-fraction hydrogen blending with EGR to improve ethanol engine performance under stoichiometric and lean-burn conditions","authors":"Huili Dou , Yongjia Wang , Zezhou Guo , Zheheng Zhu , Tianqi Wang , Gen Li , Xiaodong Fu","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102482","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102482","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ethanol as the renewable fuel is widely uesd around the world in vehicle, while hydrogen can effectively improve the combustion performance. To investigate the capability of providing ignition core for small-fraction of hydrogen blending in enhancing ethanol engine performance, this study first examined the impact of injection strategy on engine performance. Subsequently, the synergistic effects of EGR and αH<sub>2</sub> were evaluated. Finally, a comprehensive assessment was conducted. Results indicate that a combination of 5 MPa hydrogen injection pressure and 60 °CA BTDC hydrogen injection timing achieves relatively optimized performance in terms of power output, combustion stability, and economy. When λ = 1, an increase in αH<sub>2</sub> and EGR ratio is beneficial for improving torque output and increasing IMEP. An increase in αH<sub>2</sub> will reduce CoV<sub>IMEP,</sub> which is beneficial for improving the stability of stoichiometric combustion. When λ = 1.2, the αH<sub>2</sub> is 0%, extremely unstable combustion occurs at 15% and 20% EGR ratios, with a significant decrease in torque and IMEP, and a dramatic increase in CoV<sub>IMEP</sub>, therefore exist a 10% EGR ratio boundary. Adding hydrogen can help achieve stable ignition, compensate for the negative effects of lean-burn and high EGR ratio on combustion. The combined effect of lean-burn and EGR ratio can improve the high NOx emissions caused by an increase in αH<sub>2</sub>. Under stoichiometric conditions, a hydrogen blending ratio of 15% and an EGR ratio of 20% can enhance combustion quality and reduce emissions. Under lean-burn conditions, a combination of 15% hydrogen blending with a 15% EGR ratio exhibits the best performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 102482"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146193159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Huayang Zhao , Youping Li , Zhijie Liu , Han Jiang , Yiran Zhang , Yan He
{"title":"Investigation of combustion and emission characteristics in ammonia-biodiesel blended combustion","authors":"Huayang Zhao , Youping Li , Zhijie Liu , Han Jiang , Yiran Zhang , Yan He","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102481","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102481","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ammonia is a carbon-free energy carrier with strong potential for maritime decarbonization, but its low reactivity makes stable and efficient engine operation difficult. Blending ammonia with biodiesel is a practical way to improve ignition and flame propagation, yet the coupled chemistry in ammonia-biodiesel mixtures is not fully understood. Many existing kinetic models treat biodiesel using overly simplified single-component surrogates, which can miss important multi-component oxidation features and carbon-nitrogen interactions. In this work, a detailed chemical kinetic mechanism is developed for ammonia-biodiesel combustion using a physically representative multi-component biodiesel surrogate. The mechanism combines refined oxidation sub-mechanisms for the surrogate components with detailed ammonia and NOx chemistry and includes explicit carbon-nitrogen coupling reactions. The model is validated against ignition delay time (IDT) and laminar burning velocity (LBV) data over a wide range of conditions and shows good agreement. The simulations indicate that biodiesel addition markedly increases ammonia reactivity, with the strongest effect at low and intermediate temperatures. The improvement is linked to stronger HO<sub>2</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> chemistry that promotes radical growth and accelerates NH<sub>3</sub> activation to NH<sub>2</sub>, leading to shorter ignition delays and higher LBVs. Sensitivity and reaction-path analyses further suggest that biodiesel promotes NH<sub>3</sub> consumption through abstraction routes involving OH, HO<sub>2</sub>, and NO<sub>2</sub> and enables carbon-nitrogen conversion channels associated with intermediates such as NCO and HCN. These interactions shift nitrogen partitioning among NO, N<sub>2</sub>O, and related intermediates and modify the coupled oxidation behavior of the blend. The resulting mechanism provides a validated kinetic framework and supports the analysis and optimization of ammonia-biodiesel dual-fuel strategies for propulsion applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 102481"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146193158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiang-Fen Duan , Xiu-Lin Feng , Xue-Di Zhan , Cong He , Hai-Feng Zhang , Xue-Ning Sun , Yue Zhang , Lang Liu , Ya-Kun Tang , Jin-Hui Yang
{"title":"Pressurized fluid extraction: a superior method for enriching small-molecule compounds from oil-rich coal as revealed by GC×GC/TOF-MS analysis","authors":"Jiang-Fen Duan , Xiu-Lin Feng , Xue-Di Zhan , Cong He , Hai-Feng Zhang , Xue-Ning Sun , Yue Zhang , Lang Liu , Ya-Kun Tang , Jin-Hui Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102477","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102477","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The effective enrichment and precise analysis of small-molecule compounds (SMCs) in oil-rich coal are of vital importance for their high-value utilization. However, there is still a lack of research on the enrichment methods and analysis methods. In this study, thermal dissolution (TD), Soxhlet extraction (SE), and pressurized fluid extraction (PFE) were performed to extract SMCs from oil-rich coal. The extracts (E<sub>TD</sub>, E<sub>SE</sub>, and E<sub>PFE</sub>) were analyzed using GC × GC/TOF-MS. The results indicated that although PFE (7.58%) exhibits a lower extraction yield than that of TD (26.47%), a high content of high-value-added aromatic hydrocarbons (14.71%) can be detected, which is much higher than that of TD (1.58%), due to the side reactions such as esterification reactions in TD, which dilute high-value-added components. SE is confined to isolating free-state compounds within oil-rich coal, thereby limiting the comprehensive analysis of its SMCs. Importantly, compared with conventional GC/MS, this technique enables more precise compound identification by simultaneously separating components based on differences in both polarity and boiling point. GC × GC/TOF-MS identified 275 compounds in the E<sub>PFE</sub>, far exceeding the 34 compounds detected by conventional GC/MS, demonstrating the superior capability of GC × GC/TOF-MS in characterizing the components of polar extracts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 102477"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146193160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bolun Hao , Tengteng Shao , Jichang Liu , Jie Li , Baosheng Ge , GuoZhang Chang , Yao Gao , Zhongdong Zhao , Xinyu Wen
{"title":"Mechanistic insights into black liquor-biomass Co-pyrolysis for syngas optimization","authors":"Bolun Hao , Tengteng Shao , Jichang Liu , Jie Li , Baosheng Ge , GuoZhang Chang , Yao Gao , Zhongdong Zhao , Xinyu Wen","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Black liquor, a highly alkaline byproduct of the kraft pulping process, represents both an environmental burden and a potential catalytic carbon resource due to its richness in alkali and alkaline-earth metals (AAEMs). In this study, a two-stage co-pyrolysis strategy was proposed to elucidate the synergistic interactions between black liquor and pine sawdust. The pyrolysis of pure black liquor was first investigated (700–900 °C) to determine the optimal reaction condition, followed by co-pyrolysis at varying blending ratios (0–70 %) using a fixed-bed reactor. Systematic characterization of the products revealed strong synergistic effects between catalytic minerals in black liquor and hydrogen-rich volatiles from pine sawdust. Increasing temperature promoted macromolecular decomposition and secondary tar cracking, yielding the highest gas production and syngas quality at 800 °C. At this temperature, a 30 % black liquor ratio achieved a maximum gas yield of 68.41 (±1.49 %) and syngas content exceeding 67 % (H<sub>2</sub> + CO), while minimizing tar and char formation. Mechanistic analysis indicated that Na-, K-, and Ca-based species catalyzed deoxygenation, decarboxylation, and reforming reactions, while hydrogen-donating volatiles stabilized intermediates and suppressed polymerization. This study highlights a dual catalytic-hydrogen transfer synergy between pulping-derived black liquor and lignocellulosic biomass, providing an efficient route for enhanced gas yield and quality, as well as a sustainable strategy for the high-value utilization of papermaking residues in integrated biorefineries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 102428"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Investigation of co-pyrolysis of ABS-derived electronic waste plastic and rice straw biomass over gallium-loaded zeolite catalysts: Effect of metal reduction-oxidation on BTEXs production","authors":"Zhaofeng Song, Jiean Tan, Zifan Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102422","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102422","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The plastics derived from electronic waste are predominantly composed of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), a thermoplastic polymer capable of yielding aromatic hydrocarbons through thermochemical pyrolysis. Herein, the fast co-pyrolysis of laptop-derived plastic (LP) and rice straw (RS) was examined using various HZSM-5 (HZ) catalysts (SiO<sub>2</sub>/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>: 30, 50, and 280) at 550 °C. The results showed that styrene was a major co-pyrolysis compound due to the specific structure of LP. Herein, a large amount of BTEXs (53.5 × 10^7 MS peak area) was obtained while using the HZ-30 catalyst. However, only a 14.1 × 10^7 MS peak area of BTEXs was observed for the non-catalytic (non-cat) co-pyrolysis of LP/RS (1/1). The effect of 2 wt% Ga-loaded HZ-30 (GHZ) catalysts was also examined for the co-pyrolysis of LP/RS under in situ mode. The production of BTEXs was further improved to 85.87 × 10^7 MS peak area over the GHZ, highlighting the efficient activation of the catalyst, which generated new Lewis and Bronsted acidic sites. Additionally, a reduction-oxidation pretreated GHZ-30-(RO) was also tested for the same purpose, which exhibited excellent activity toward the production of BTEXs (94.8 × 10^7 MS peak area) with considerable consumption of styrene yields. The co-pyrolysis behaviour of GHZ-30 (RO) catalyst was systematically examined in both ex-situ and in-situ modes. Additionally, a lab-scale study was conducted to further enhance the quantification of BTEX yield. The catalytic reusability tests confirmed that GHZ-30 (RO) exhibits excellent durability during the co-pyrolysis of LP and RS.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 102422"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pyrolysis process intensification of mixed medical waste using grinding beads and hematite in an indirectly heated rotary kiln","authors":"Zhipeng Zhou , Shuo Ma , Kexun Wang , Hongting Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102453","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102453","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the efficacy of grinding beads as a heat transfer intensifier and hematite catalyst for the pyrolysis of mixed medical waste (MMW) in an indirectly heated rotary kiln. The focus was on elucidating the impact of these additives on intra-bed heat-mass transfer and the product distribution. Thermogravimetric and kinetic analyses revealed the fundamental pyrolysis characteristics and interaction effects during the co-pyrolysis of cellulose-based MW and polypropylene(PP), notably the inhibition of PP degradation. Subsequent rotary kiln experiments demonstrated that the addition of silicon carbide(SiC) beads at an additive-to-feedstock mass ratio of 0.6 increased the wall-to-bed heat transfer coefficient by approximately 24 %, from 174.5 to 217.0 W/(m<sup>2</sup>·K), and reduced the radial temperature gradients. Tar yield increased from 35.38 % to 38.71 %. Powdered hematite (Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) acted as a catalyst, altering selectivity towards gas production and enhancing the hydrogen yield by over 62.13 %. This study concludes that the deliberate selection of additives provides a highly effective strategy for process intensification: high-thermal-conductivity beads (SiC) mitigate heat transfer limitations, whereas catalytic media (Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) actively steer the product distribution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 102453"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tianye Wang , Cheng Xu , Guofu Xia, Fuli Wen, Rongjun Zhang, Jiakang Deng, Hongwei Li
{"title":"Rare-earth–modulated ordered mesoporous MgAl2O4 enabling ultra-stable Ni catalysts for methane dry reforming","authors":"Tianye Wang , Cheng Xu , Guofu Xia, Fuli Wen, Rongjun Zhang, Jiakang Deng, Hongwei Li","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102460","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102460","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Industrial implementation of methane dry reforming is frequently hindered by rapid deactivation of Ni catalysts, driven mainly by particle growth and carbon accumulation. To address these challenges, Ni/MgAl<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> catalysts incorporating La, Ce, or Y were engineered using a co-impregnation strategy combined with an ordered mesoporous MgAl<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> framework. Comprehensive characterization revealed that the mesoporous architecture effectively confined Ni species below 5 nm, while promoter-dependent structural regulation played a decisive role in long-term stability. La preserved the hexagonally ordered channels and strengthened metal–support interactions, resulting in markedly reduced sintering and a substantial decrease in carbon deposition during 432 h operation. Ce enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> activation through redox cycling but generated excessive methane-cracking carbon, compromising durability, whereas Y disrupted mesopore ordering and intensified Ni agglomeration. The La-modified catalyst ultimately maintained nearly constant CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> conversions at 750 °C with minimal activity loss, demonstrating the synergistic advantages of spatial confinement and promoter-induced chemical stabilization. This work provides mechanistic insights into rare-earth–regulated Ni catalysts and establishes a design basis for thermally robust DRM systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 102460"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effect of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic rings on the surface oxidation process of soot:A combined Reaxff MD and quantum chemical study","authors":"Qingyang Liu, Haoye Liu, Tianyou Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102474","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102474","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the process of ammonia-containing hydrocarbon combustion, abundant pyrrole and pyridine groups are found on the surface of soot particles. In this study, the effect of these nitrogen-containing heterocyclic rings on the surface oxidation process of soot was explored by combining with Reactive force field molecular dynamics (ReaxFF MD) and quantum chemical calculations. Phenanthrene (C<sub>14</sub>H<sub>10</sub>), phenanthridine (C<sub>13</sub>H<sub>9</sub>N) and carbazole (C<sub>12</sub>H<sub>9</sub>N) were selected as typical structural models of nitrogen-containing soot surface. The results of the number of unoxidized rings show that nitrogen-containing heterocyclic rings are less susceptible to oxidative decomposition than aromatic rings. Oxidation pathway analysis revealed that each aromatic ring of C<sub>14</sub>H<sub>10</sub> can serve as the initial site for O radical attack. Upon oxidative cleavage of the first ring, subsequent oxidation reactions tend to proceed sequentially along adjacent aromatic rings, exhibiting clear spatial continuity. In contrast, the edge aromatic rings of C<sub>13</sub>H<sub>9</sub>N and C<sub>12</sub>H<sub>9</sub>N are preferentially oxidized, and the cleavage of pyrrole and pyridine occurs later in the sequence. In addition, nitrogen sites of pyrrole and pyridine have higher energy barriers for O-addition reaction compared with the corresponding carbon sites on the aromatic ring, with a maximum difference of 50.54 kcal/mol. This considerable difference of energy barriers leads to higher structural stability of pyrrole and pyridine during the oxidation process compared to the aromatic ring. Overall, the reaction characteristics of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic rings significantly affect the surface oxidation process of soot during ammonia-doped hydrocarbon combustion. Specifically, the higher energy barrier for O-addition reaction at the nitrogen site makes the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring exhibit stronger structural stability than the aromatic ring, thereby inhibiting the oxidation of soot. Meanwhile, this difference in reaction characteristics interrupts the original continuous oxidation pathway and modifies the structural evolution mode of soot surface, leading to discontinuous distribution of active sites and uneven edge shape of soot surface, thus affecting the development of soot morphology. This provides an explanation for the distinct structural characteristics exhibited by nitrogen-containing soot compared to conventional soot at both micro and nano scales.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 102474"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zeru Gong , Yongsheng Guan , Fang Wu , Jiaxun Liu , Junfu Lyu
{"title":"Influence of volatile-char interaction time on the evolution of reducing and nitrogen containing components during coal partial gasification","authors":"Zeru Gong , Yongsheng Guan , Fang Wu , Jiaxun Liu , Junfu Lyu","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102429","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102429","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Decoupling combustion technology of pulverized coal is a promising technology for achieving ultra-low NO<sub><em>x</em></sub> emissions. A key to its optimization lies in understanding the evolution of reducing gases and NO<sub><em>x</em></sub> precursors during the initial coal preheating stage. This study systematically investigates the regulation mechanisms during partial gasification by employing two reactors representing different volatile-char interaction intensities: a Py-GC/MS system (weak and short-time interaction) and an entrained-flow reactor (strong and long-time interaction). The effects of preheating temperature, excess air coefficient (φ), interaction time, and particle size were examined. Results show that temperature and φ govern the combustion-gasification competition, thereby determining product distribution. Strong volatile-char interactions in the entrained-flow reactor significantly promote secondary cracking and reforming, increasing syngas yield and enhancing the conversion of fuel-nitrogen to benign N<sub>2</sub> via heterogeneous reduction on the char surface. Furthermore, an optimal interaction time of ∼3 s and particle size of ∼18 μm were identified for maximizing the yield of desirable products. This work clarifies the critical role of volatile-char interactions in nitrogen transformation and provides fundamental insights for optimizing decoupling combustion towards efficient ultra-low NO<sub><em>x</em></sub> systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 102429"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dabin Guo , Zhenhong Cai , Yongkang Ye , Akash Kumar , Hongwei Rong , Baihui Cui , Mian Hu
{"title":"Synergistic enhancement by tuning acidity and dehydrogenation functions: Application of Ga/HZSM-5 in BTX production from co-pyrolysis of PET and polyolefins","authors":"Dabin Guo , Zhenhong Cai , Yongkang Ye , Akash Kumar , Hongwei Rong , Baihui Cui , Mian Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102443","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2026.102443","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The catalytic co-pyrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyolefins (PP/HDPE) presents a promising route for producing benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX), yet achieving high selectivity remains challenging due to inefficient deoxygenation and limited aromatization. In this study, a Ga-modified HZSM-5 catalyst is reported, which synergistically enhances both acidity and dehydrogenation functions to increase BTX production. A series of Ga/HZSM-5 catalysts with varying Ga loadings (1–23 wt%) were synthesized and systematically characterized. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed a strong synergistic interaction in PET/PP blends, where PP-derived radicals facilitate PET deoxygenation and suppress coking. Under optimized conditions (PET:PP = 1:1, pyrolysis/catalysis temperature = 600<sup>o</sup>C, residence time = 1.70 s), the 11 wt% Ga/HZSM-5 catalyst achieved a remarkable BTX yield of 76.94 wt%, significantly outperforming unmodified HZSM-5. The introduction of Ga species modulated the acid strength, suppressed over-cracking, and enhanced dehydrogenation activity, thereby promoting the alkylation of benzene with light olefins to form toluene and xylene. Additionally, the catalyst exhibited excellent regenerability and stability over multiple reaction cycles. This work elucidates the dual synergy mechanism, encompassing both feedstock synergy in co-pyrolysis and catalytic synergy over Ga/HZSM-5, thereby offering a strategic framework for designing efficient bifunctional catalysts to valorize mixed plastic wastes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 102443"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145927015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}