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Assessment of devolatilization schemes in predicting product yields of biomass fast pyrolysis
Author(s) -
Xiong Qingang,
Aramideh Soroush,
Kong SongCharng
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
environmental progress and sustainable energy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.495
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1944-7450
pISSN - 1944-7442
DOI - 10.1002/ep.11922
Subject(s) - pyrolysis , biomass (ecology) , process engineering , decomposition , lignocellulosic biomass , cracking , process (computing) , yield (engineering) , product distribution , environmental science , materials science , biofuel , chemical engineering , waste management , chemistry , computer science , engineering , organic chemistry , oceanography , catalysis , metallurgy , composite material , operating system , geology
Three devolatilization schemes to simulate biomass fast pyrolysis were tested and validated in this study. Fast pyrolysis is an attractive process in converting lignocellulosic biomass to valued products. Accurate numerical models can help understand the conversion process and be used for reactor design and optimization. This study used a numerical model that considered the multiphase hydrodynamics and chemical reactions of biomass fast pyrolysis. The gas and solid phases were simulated by using a multifluid model that considered multiple species in each phase. Three devolatilization schemes for biomass fast pyrolysis were incorporated into the model to simulate the tempo‐spatial evolutions of all phases and species. The predicted product yields were compared and validated using experimental data. It was found that the best predictions were given by a scheme that used three components to represent biomass and also considered organic liquid cracking into gas. Under the reactor conditions studied, all three devolatilization schemes predicted relatively fast decomposition of biomass and the reactor hydrodynamics was not significantly affected by the specifics of the devolatilization schemes. Overall, an accurate devolatilization scheme to simulate the chemical changes of biomass particles is essential to predicting the product yield of biomass fast pyrolysis at the reactor scale. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog,, 33: 756–761, 2014