Pyrolysis performance of peat moss: A simultaneous in-situ thermal analysis and bench-scale experimental study

Peat moss in drained peatlands has become a non-negligible source of greenhouse gases (GHG) emission. Pyrolysis is a potential technique to convert carbon-emitting peat moss to carbon-storage materials. This work investigates the behavior of peat moss pyrolysis by a combined in-situ thermal analysis and bench-scale pyrolysis experiment methodology. The simultaneous thermal analyzer, which provides the simultaneous TG/DTA analysis, was employed to reveal the thermal decomposition behavior of peat moss. The samples were heated up to 900 degrees C with different heating rates of 10, 15, and 20 degrees C/min. Thereafter, pyrolysis experiments with peak temperatures of 450, 500, 550 and 600 degrees C were performed in a bench-scale pyrolyzer. It was found that there are four main stages and two micro stages of mass loss during peat moss pyrolysis from room temperature to 900 degrees C. Also, kinetic parameters were calculated based on the results of TG and DTG by the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) method and the Coats-Redfern (CR) method. In the bench-scale pyrolysis experiments, four phases, i.e., char, tar, aqueous phase, and gas, were obtained and characterized. The carbon distribution and the GHG emission from peat moss pyrolysis were determined.