Microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis of apple wood to produce biochar: Co-pyrolysis behavior, pyrolysis kinetics analysis and evaluation of microbial carriers

Abstract

This studyinvestigated the behavior and kinetics of co-pyrolysis of apple wood (AW)with H3PO4and K3PO4as catalysts under microwaveto prepare biochar as microbialabsorbent. The kinetic studies indicate that the co-pyrolysis of AW withH3PO4orK3PO4can effectively improve the pyrolysis efficiencyand enhance the biocharcharacteristicsby reducing ofthe activation energy of the pyrolysis reaction. The kinetic parameters indicate that the activation energy of the mixturesin the main pyrolysis stage is lower than that of a single AW, whichmeanthat the co-pyrolysis of AW withH3PO4orK3PO4shows excellent synergy. Biochar characterization showed that the yield of biochar reachedthe highest58.6% whenthe ratio(H3PO4/AW) is0.5. The adsorption results show that the bacteria SL-44 can be effectively loaded on the surface of the biochar, and the adsorption process is combined with Langmuir model and process can proceed spontaneously.