Kinetic Study on the Pyrolysis of Medium Density Fiberboard: Effects of Secondary Charring Reactions

The reaction models employed in the kinetic studies of biomass pyrolysis generally do not include the secondary charring reactions. The aim of this work is to propose an applicable kinetic model to characterize the pyrolysis mechanism of medium density fiberboard (MDF) and to evaluate the effects of secondary charring reactions on estimated products yields. The kinetic study for pyrolysis of MDF was performed by a thermogravimetric analyzer over a heating rate range from 10 to 40 degrees C/min in a nitrogen atmosphere. Four stages related to the degradation of resin, hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin could be distinguished from the thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Based on the four components and multi-component parallel reaction scheme, a kinetic model considering secondary charring reactions was proposed. A comparison model was also provided. An efficient optimization algorithm, differential evolution (DE), was coupled with the two models to determine the kinetic parameters. Comparisons of the results of the two models to experiment showed that the mass fraction (TG) and mass loss rate (DTG) calculated by the model considering secondary charring reactions were in better agreement with the experimental data. Furthermore, higher product yields than the experimental values will be obtained if secondary charring reactions were not considered in the kinetic study of MDF pyrolysis. On the contrary, with the consideration of secondary charring reactions, the estimated product yield had little error with the experimental data.