Experimental investigation on pyrolysis kinetics, reaction mechanisms and thermodynamic parameters of biomass and tar in N_2 atmosphere

摘要

Biomass is an important carbon neutral energy source which is generated in huge quantity naturally and through various human activities. There are different types of biomasses like agricultural waste, forest residue, industrial waste, municipal solid waste etc. However, in biomass thermal conversion process, tar is an inevitable waste or by-product that has a significant impact on the overall efficiency and economy of the process. The present study aims to investigate the potential of using biomass tar as fuel and compare with the parent biomass. Therefore, pyrolysis of three different biomass materials (bamboo, betelnut shell and rice straw) and their tars are investigated in a Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA). Pyrolysis experiments are carried out under N-2 atmosphere with four different heating rates of 10, 20, 30 and 40 K/min. Maximum temperature used for the pyrolysis experiments is 900 degrees C. Kinetic analysis is done using three model free methods. Kinetic parameters, thermodynamic parameters and reaction models are evaluated. The activation energy for biomass tar is found to be lower than parent biomass material. The results reveal that the biomass tars have good thermal properties and fuel generation capabilities.