The gaseous products characterization of the pyrolysis process of various agricultural residues using TGA-DSC-MS techniques

Slow pyrolysis characteristics of agricultural residue feedstocks (corn brakes, wheat straw, and hazelnut shell) were investigated by simultaneous thermal analysis (STA-TG-DTG-DSC), coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). Thermal decomposition of agricultural residues was divided into three stages, corresponding to removal of water, devolatilization, and formation of bio-char. It was found that differences in thermal behavior of samples are due to differences in their composition. The MS results showed that H-2, CH4, H2O, CO2 (C3H8), CO, and C2H6 were the main gaseous products released during pyrolysis. It was shown that hazelnut shells could be a good combustion fuel, since during its pyrolysis at high temperature, more gaseous products compared to other systems are very favored. For hazelnut shell pyrolysis, the CO2 can be used on the large scale for the production of CO-rich syngas.