Nano Co3O4/NiO catalysts pyrolysis of Cotinus nana bark for bio-oil and biochemicals raw material

Cotinus nana W. W. Smith is a valued landscape shrub and a good afforestation species that is also widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. In this study, the use of Cotinus nana’s bark (CNB) as biofuel and a biochemical under the catalysis of nano-Co3O4/NiO was explored by various thermogravimetric methods and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The bark powder was extracted using a methanol/benzene solution, and then analyzed by FTIR and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the pyrolysis products of CNB are rich in phenols, alcohols, and biofuels. The Co3O4 and NiO act as nanometal catalysts in the release of pyrolysis gases, accelerating the precipitation of gaseous products. Among them, NiO has the most obvious catalytic effect in the pyrolysis process of the material components. At the same time, in the temperature range of 40 to 850 °C, as the pyrolysis rate of the sample increases, the pyrolysis process becomes more intense. In contrast, the contents of the extracts N,N-diethyl-formamide, butyric acid, and oleic acid are not only widely used in industry, but also play a pivotal role in medicine. Therefore, the bark of Cotinus nana is an excellent plant material for biofuels and biochemicals.