Co supported KOH activated biochar on the co-pyrolysis of cattle manure and rice husk

It is crucial to develop an efficient catalyst for catalytic co-pyrolysis. In this paper, the catalytic co-pyrolysis of cattle manure and rice husk over a catalyst loaded with Co using KOH-activated biochar as the support was conducted in a two-stage fixed-bed reactor. The results showed that the Co/KRHC catalyst displayed good performance in the catalytic pyrolysis process with a large specific surface area and a developed pore structure. Loading with Co not only improved the quality of syngas but also increased syngas yield. H2 content increased from 4.55% to 13.68%, and CO content increased from 19.78% to 32.25%, whereas CO2 content decreased from 7.32% to 5.3%, and CH4 content decreased from 8.01% to 6.07%. Syngas yield increased from 3.68 Nm3/kg to 4.58 Nm3/kg. The catalyst promoted the breaking of C–C and C–O bonds in tar, increased the content of phenols, ketones, and aldehydes, and reduced the content of oxygen in the syngas. The catalysts also maintained good performance after five catalytic cycles, with H2 and CO contents of approximately 10% and 27.5%, respectively.