Formation and characteristics of soot from pyrolysis of ethylene blended with furan fuels

Abstract

As two renewable oxygenated biofuels, 2,5-dimethylfuran and 2-methylfuran (DMF and MF) have been considered to be two of the most potential fuels in the future due to the development of the second-generation biosynthetic technologies. The atmosphere pyrolysis experiments with 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% replacement of ethylene by DMF/MF at 1173 and 1273 K were conducted. Collected soot samples were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to acquire their internal structure and oxidation reactivity. Results showed that soot mass was positively related with DMF addition ratios and the reaction temperature. Soot production was also enhanced when the MF addition ratio gradually increased from 0% to 75%. The influences of DMF addition can promote soot formation more obviously than MF. Temperatures showed a more significant influence on soot morphology than fuel types and DMF/MF addition ratios. For a fixed addition ratio of DMF/MF, soot showed liquid-like substances at 1173 K. At 1273 K, approximately round particles formed and linked together in chains. Moreover, at 1273 K, the aggregates obtained by adding MF contained more single particles, longer carbon chains, and larger projection area compared with the aggregates by adding same MF. For nanostructures, as the addition ratios of DMF/MF increased, as well as the reaction temperature improved, the fringe length of the carbon layer increased, the average fringe tortuosity decreased, and the stacking arrangement of soot became more orderly, the soot oxidation reactivity was lower. Under a same addition ratio and reaction temperature, soot obtained by adding DMF possessed slightly longer fringe length, smaller fringe tortuosity and lower oxidation reactivity than those of the soot obtained by adding MF. High correlation between fringe parameters and soot oxidation reactivity was discovered. The more ordered soot nanostructure, the longer fringe length, and the smaller fringe tortuosity could make the oxidation reactivity of soot get lower.