{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,14]],"date-time":"2026-03-14T08:29:52Z","timestamp":1773476992447,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,19]],"date-time":"2024-04-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1713484800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation","award":["23 15 04 02"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["23 15 04 02"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sustainability"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The valorization of black liquor, a by-product produced in considerable quantities from the paper manufacturing processes, has demonstrated the effectiveness of thermal reconversion into pyrolysis gas, bio-oil, and bio-char, a sustainable approach placing the feedstock into a circular economy concept. The present study focused on developing disposal solutions through energy recovery via pyrolysis at 300 \u00b0C and 450 \u00b0C when lignite and nanomaterials (such as Cu-Zn-MCM-41, Ni-SBA-3, or Ni-SBA16) were used as catalysts. The results were compared to those of non-catalytic pyrolysis. The use of the Cu-Zn-MCM-41 catalyst proved to be efficient for pyrolysis gas production, reaching 55.22 vol% CH4. The increase in the calorific value of the pyrolysis gas was associated with the use of the Cu-Zn-MCM-41, showing a value of 42.23 MJ\/m3 compared to that of the non-catalytic process, which yielded 39.56 MJ\/m3. The bio-oil resulting from the pyrolysis with Cu-Zn-MCM-41 showed the highest energy value at 6457 kcal\/kg compared to that obtained with the other two nanocatalysts, Ni-SBA-3 and Ni-SBA-16, as well as that of the raw material, which had a value of 3769 kcal\/kg. The analysis of bio-char revealed no statistically significant differences when comparing the outcomes from using the various nanocatalysts, suggesting their minimal impact on the energy content.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/su16083429","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,19]],"date-time":"2024-04-19T10:53:17Z","timestamp":1713523997000},"page":"3429","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Mesoporous Silica Nanocatalyst-Based Pyrolysis of a By-Product of Paper Manufacturing, Black Liquor"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-7968-9371","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Florian","family":"Marin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Food Industry and Environmental Protection, \u201cLucian Blaga\u201d University of Sibiu, 7\u20139 I. Ratiu Str., 550012 Sibiu, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Felicia","family":"Bucura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0439-3265","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Violeta-Carolina","family":"Niculescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antoaneta","family":"Roman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0972-9813","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Oana Romina","family":"Botoran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marius","family":"Constantinescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3033-4266","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefan Ionu\u021b","family":"Spiridon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6417-7698","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eusebiu Ilarian","family":"Ionete","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Ramnicu Valcea, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3832-6041","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Simona","family":"Oancea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Food Industry and Environmental Protection, \u201cLucian Blaga\u201d University of Sibiu, 7\u20139 I. 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