Synergetic effect of magnesium citrate and temperature on the product characteristics of waste lotus seedpod pyrolysis

To understand the synergetic effect of magnesium citrate (MC) and temperature on biomass pyrolysis, co-pyrolysis of lotus seedpod (LS) and MC was carried out in a fixed bed reactor. With the addition of MC, CO2 become the dominate composition in gas (55.83-90.75 vol%). And with temperature increasing, the main components in bio-oil converted from carboxylic acid to phenols and aromatics. Meanwhile, the mesoporous carbon was formed, with the BET specific surface area up to 514.66 m(2)/g, and pore diameter mainly focused at 3-8 nm. For the catalytic effect, the secondary cracking of pyrolytic volatiles (acetic acid and anhydrosugar) was inhibited, therefore the gas releasing was inhibited below 550 degrees C. However, at higher temperature, MgO catalysts favored the reduction of acids and deoxygenation via ketonization and aldol condensation reactions. The formed MgO as a template and the catalysis of MgO during co-pyrolysis contributed to the mesoporous structure of solid char.