Pyrolysis Study on Solid Fuels: From Conventional Analytical Methods to Synchrotron Vacuum Ultraviolet Photoionization Mass Spectrometry

The demand of modern society for energy keeps increasing as a result of the rapid growth of population and urbanization. Pyrolysis of solid fuels, including biomass, coal, and polymer waste, has recently received special attention because it can provide extra sources of fuels. In the past few years, a variety of analytical techniques have been used to detect the pyrolysis products of solid fuels, such as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, thermogravimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy, etc. However, online detection of gas release during the pyrolysis process, which is believed to be closely related to the thermal decomposition mechanisms of solid fuels, is rare. Recently, some progress has been made in real-time diagnostic techniques, the most important one of which is photoionization mass spectrometry (PIMS). This review focuses on recent developments in the pyrolysis study of solid fuels, especially on those performed with synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet (SVUV)-PIMS.