Pyrolysis products from different biomasses: application to the thermal cracking of tar

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the amounts of various pyrolysis products (gases, water, tar and charcoal) from three biomasses (wood, coconut shell and straw) and to suggest a kinetic equation for the thermal cracking of tar at temperatures varying from 400 to 900 degreesC. From the results, a comparative analysis is done for the biomasses, and a kinetic model of thermal cracking of tar is proposed for a residence time ranging from zero to 4s. This can be applied to the purification of gasification gases used as a feed gas to a combustion engine, and so contributes to the design of gasifiers. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.