Prediction of pyrolytic product composition and yield for various grass biomass feedstocks

Abstract

Pyrolysis is the fundamental thermochemical reaction for both combustion and gasification processes aimed at the conversion of a wide array of biomass wastes into many desirable products. The main products of biomass pyrolysis are biochar, bio-oil, and flue gases (which includes methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide). The present article is an attempt to observe the effect of temperature on the pyrolysis process by using elementary composition of biomass to estimate the product yield along with its composition. This study considered the grasses such as bamboo, kenaf, miscanthus, reed canary, and switch grasses as the biomass feedstock. The dependence of pyrolytic product (solid, liquid, gas) formation on variation of temperature and heating rate has been discussed. The results revealed that the amount of pyrolytic product formation is dependent on the elementary and biochemical composition of grass biomasses. Based upon the biomass composition, possibility of co-pyrolysis has been discussed in this paper. Validation of model results revealed that almost 99% similarity is observed in the case of miscanthus biochar yield; however, 10% dissimilarity in gas and water yield for miscanthus is observed between predicted and experimental yield. This modeling approach would not only help in optimizing the pyrolysis process, but also encouraged the utilization of the biomass feedstock efficiently for the production of desired products in a sustainable manner.