Product Distribution from Woody Biomass by Fixed-bed Pyrolysis Process

Abstract

Conversion of woody biomass to usable energy forms has gained much interest recently due to increase in energy cost as well as greater pressure on the environment by the use of fossil fuel. This paper proposes the quantitative understanding of the thermal decomposition behavior of woody biomass by employing the laboratory-scale batch reactor. Effect of temperature on the yields, the composition and the rate of formation of the products for four different woody biomass materials is studied. The char yield, liquid and total gas, which are relative to the temperature for different samples, are also presented and compared. The result shows that the percentage volatile matter in char decreases with an increase in temperature, while there is an increase in the percentage fixed carbon. Overall, the four investigated woods resemble in their pyrolysis behavior and their yield of pyrolysate, pyrolysis liquids and gas.