Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of solid biomass in the absence of oxygen to produce solid, liquid, and gaseous products. Often it is thought of as a simple devolatilization process leaving behind a solid char product with the evolved products partitioned between condensable vapors, ultimately recovered as bio-oil, and non-condensable gases. In fact, pyrolysis is a complicated evolution of chemical species among solid, liquid, and gaseous phases dependent upon the biochemical composition and size of the biomass, the presence of mineral matter in the biomass, the manner in which the reactor is heated and ventilated, and the residence times and quenching rates of reactants and products. Transport phenomena are proving to be integral to understanding the evolution of chemical species, which has not been fully appreciated in many studies of pyrolysis kinetics. This presentation will consider the role of solid, liquid, and gaseous phases in determining product distributions during pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass.

Role of solid, liquid, and gaseous phases during pyrolysis of biomass

249th National Meeting (2015)

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