Microwave assisted pyrolysis of Kraft lignin in single mode high-Q resonant cavities: Degradation kinetics, product chemical composition, and numerical modeling

Useful fuels and chemicals can be produced from lignin by microwave-assisted pyrolysis, but a dearth of understanding this process impedes its successful implementation. Continuous mass loss kinetics the pyrolysis Kraft pellets were carried out in an innovative reactor system comprised high-Q cylindrical microwave resonant cavity specially designed quartz reactor, temperature range 300–700 °C. Multiphysics numerical simulations indicated that both absorbed power resulting temperatures profiles are heavily dependent on position sample relative to electric field. degradation (5 g samples) was complete about 40 s, which much faster than conventionally heated reactors. Activation energies (5–22 kJ/mol) pre-exponential factors (0.06–0.64 s−1) indicative is low energy consumption. At higher temperatures, phenols phenolics major constituents bio-oil. A reliable method obtaining continuously established.