Catalytic pyrolysis of pinewood using ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by wire explosion process

Wire explosion process is used to synthesize Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles with Zinc (Zn) wire as the starting material and oxygen gas as the reacting/cooling medium. Morphology of the particles is controlled with different levels of deposited energy (W) and oxygen pressure (P). X-ray diffraction patterns show the complete oxidation of Zn except for low P (20 kPa) and low W. Micrographs obtained from transmission electron microscope show that the particles are not spherical in shape and its size reduces with increase in K and/or decrease in P. As the particle size getting reduced, number of spherical particles reduce. Pyrolysis of pinewood is carried out taking ZnO as catalyst and the yield is quantified with GC-MS. Relative content of small molecular weight compounds increases if ZnO is used.