LAUSR

Abstract The Fe–Ca catalysts in catalytic pyrolysis of brown coals were studied to investigate the catalytic activity of the Fe–Ca in a fixed-bed reactor. Experimental results showed the maximum yields of the light aromatic hydrocarbons (LAHs) were 5.90 wt% (0.88 wt% of benzene, toluene and xylene ‘BTX’, 4.10 wt% of phenol and cresol ‘PC’ and 0.92 wt% of naphthalene) when the 1.5% Ca was added into 5% Fe-loaded brown coal. The yields of water and gas significantly reduced, the tar yield gradually increased with increasing heating rate. The characterization results indicated that when calcium promoter was impregnated with iron, Ca2Fe2O5, CaO, Fe2O3 and α-Fe were formed on the surface of the coal char, Ca2Fe2O5 and α-Fe decomposed polyaromatic tar, CaO and Fe2O3 accelerated water gas shift reaction to enhance the H2 yield, the Fe2O3 and Ca2Fe2O5 could be reduced to α-Fe by volatiles (C, CO and H2) under high temperature catalytic pyrolysis. The synergistic effects between iron and calcium improved brown coal pyrolysis and the volatiles such as free radical fragments were further pyrolyzed, indicating that Fe–Ca catalysts inhibited α-Fe deactivation by tar and carbon deposition, thus promoting brown coal pyrolysis and formation of COx, H2 and LAHs.