Unresolved Issues on the Kinetic Modeling of Pyrolysis of Woody and Nonwoody Biomass Fuels

Abstract

The main objective of this work is to evaluate a number of unresolved issues on the kinetic modeling of the pyrolysis of woody and nonwoody biomass fuels. More specifically, this work aims to provide a better understanding of the role of the interactions between the main biomass components—cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin—and the role of the presence of extractives on the pyrolysis of those biomass fuels. To achieve these goals, five biomass samples and the three main biomass components were pyrolyzed under slow pyrolysis conditions, up to 700 °C, in order to obtain a comprehensive experimental database for model validation. Subsequently, the experimental weight loss curves, product yields, and gas composition were compared with the predictions obtained with the Bio-PoliMi mechanism. Experimental mixtures were obtained by superimposing the experimental curves from the single component pyrolysis tests while satisfying the composition of the biomass samples. The Bio-PoliMi mechanism predicted with good ...