Study on the co-pyrolysis of oil shale and corn stalk: Pyrolysis characteristics, kinetic and gaseous product analysis

Co-pyrolysis of oil shale and biomass can promote thermal decomposition and improve product quality because of the interaction. Therefore, the co-pyrolysis characteristics of oil shale (OS) and corn stalk (CS) were investigated by the combination of TG-FTIR-MS study. TG/DTG results showed that the decomposition of cellulose was promoted during co-pyrolysis, and the decomposition temperature of OS was advanced, while the decomposition rate decreased. Kinetic analysis showed that the lowest apparent activation energy occurred at a CS blending ratio of 50%. MS and FTIR showed that co-pyrolysis impeded the release of oxygen-containing gases, especially H2O and CO2 after 400 degrees C. The oxygen transfer mechanism is also applicable to OS and CS co-pyrolysis, which means the intermediate formed by the combination of alkali metal released from CS and C-O in OS has catalytic effect after chemisorbing H2O and CO2, leading to easier bond breaks in OS and re-release of partial H2O and CO2.

Automated summary

Co-pyrolysis of oil shale and corn stalk can enhance thermal decomposition and improve the quality of products. The addition of corn stalk promotes the decomposition of cellulose and advances the decomposition temperature of oil shale, while reducing the decomposition rate. Furthermore, co-pyrolysis hinders the release of oxygen-containing gases, but catalyzes the bond breaks in oil shale by adsorbing H2O and CO2.