Investigation of production of oxygenated compounds by cracking pyrolytic oil derived from Loy Yang coal over iron oxide catalyst in a steam atmosphere

Abstract

We carried out catalytic cracking of pyrolytic oil derived from Loy Yang coal with an iron oxide catalyst bearing Zr and Al in a steam atmosphere. Although the pyrolytic oil contained 12.8% on an oil carbon basis of the chemicals that were monocyclic hydrocarbons, phenols and ketones, the total yield of the chemicals by the cracking with the catalyst was more than 25% on an oil carbon basis. The yield of product gas was less than 5.0% on an oil carbon basis. Also, the cracking was effective in decomposing the initial heavy tar. We indicated that the catalyst had a possibility of the production of oxygenated compounds from Loy Yang coal tar via not gasification but the cracking.