Catalytic Pyrolysis of Hemicellulose and Application of Distributed Activation Energy Model (DAEM)

摘要

Scientists have tried to develop suitable catalysts for effective utilization of biomass. Alkali metal salts such as sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate, prove to be effective as catalysts for conversion of macromolecules such as cellulose and hemicellulose into smaller fragments. Our earlier study shows that when more than 1.0wt% Na_2CO_3 is added into corn stalk, its DTG curve altered greatly, from two peaks to one. And with further research we found that the maximum weight loss rate of cellulose pyrolysis decreases with either Na_2CO_3 or K_2CO_3 addition and the temperature corresponding to the maximum weight loss rate moves to higher temperature range, but the peak on DTG curve for lignin moves to lower temperature range with catalyst addition, showing that the effect of catalysts on cellulose pyrolysis is different from that on lignin. In order to understand the role that the catalyst plays in the pyrolysis of hemicellulose, in this paper, the pyrolysis of hemicellulose with Na_2CO_3 as catalyst was carried out with thermal gravimetric analysis, and the kinetic parameters were also determined.