Effect of the AL-MCM-41 catalyst on the catalytic pyrolysis of atmospheric petroleum residue (ATR)

Thermogravimetry (TG) was used in this study to evaluate thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of Atmospheric Petroleum Residue (ATR) which can be found in the state of Rio Grande do Norte/Brazil, after a process of atmospheric distillation of petroleum. The utilized sample in the process of catalytic pyrolysis was Al-MCM-41, a mesoporous material. The procedures for obtaining the thermogravimetric curves were performed in a thermobalance with heating rates of 5, 10, and 20 °C min −1 . From TG, the activation energy was determined using the Flynn–Wall kinetic method, which decreased from 161 kJ mol −1 , for the pure ATR, to 71 kJ mol −1 , in the presence of the Al-MCM-41, showing the efficiency of the catalyst in the pyrolysis of Atmospheric Petroleum Residue.