Effect of Fe on the pyrolysis products of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, and the formation of carbon nanotubes

In response to severe climate change on a global scale, a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy is proposed, leading to the high utilization of biomass resources. The current study examined the characteristics of the pyrolysis products of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose using different Fe contents, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were successfully prepared under conventional pyrolysis conditions. The results showed that the addition of 10% Fe significantly increased the content of H2, CH4, and CO in the pyrolysis gas and inhibited the release of CO2. The addition of 10% Fe inhibited the decomposition of lignin surface functional groups and promoted the decomposition of hemicellulose surface functional groups. At the same time, diffraction peaks due to carbon deposition can be observed on the surface of Fe powder. Lignin biochar contained a large number of pores, and the number of pores increased with an increase in the added Fe. The existence of CNTs was observed in the Fe of cellulose corresponding to a small quartz boat, and a mechanism for the preparation of CNTs by chemical vapor deposition using cellulose as raw material was proposed.