The pyrolysis of waste sludges was investigated using thermogravimetry/mass spectrometry (TG/MS) and a fixed-bed reactor. Two types of sludge were used, namely mixed sludge and oil sludge. In TGA/MS measurements, two degradation steps were observed. Degradation of organic structures, in sludge took place in the first step, while inorganic materials in sludge were mainly decomposed in a second s...

The fast pyrolysis oils produced from proteinaceous biomass, such as pennycress presscake differ significantly from those produced from biomass with mostly lignocellulosic composition. Those from proteinaceous biomass tend to be deoxygenated, contain more nitrogen, be less acidic and be more stable. Because their composition is different, their behavior in and products from upgrading via hydrot...

In the present study, impact of shrinkage on pyrolysis of biomass particles is studied employing a kinetic model coupled with heat transfer model using a practically significant kinetic scheme consisting of physically measurable parameters. The numerical model is used to examine the impact of shrinkage on temperature profile and pyrolysis conversion time considering cylindrical geometry. Finite...

A coupled reactor/furnace simulation has been conducted for a 100 kt/a SL-II naphtha cracking furnace containing both long-flame and radiation burners. The computational fluid dynamics approach was used to simulate the flow, combustion and radiative heat transfer in the furnace. The software packages COILSIM1D and SimCO were used to account for the cracking process in the reactor coils. The sim...

A new method for feedstock reconstruction of industrially important hydrocarbon fractions is developed using as input the analytically determined ommercial indices such as the average molecular weight, the specific density, theH/C-ratio, the paraffin, isoparaffin, olefins, naphthenes, aromatics PIONA) weight fractions and a set of ASTM boiling points. The method is based on Shannon’s entropy cr...

Gasoline blending stocks (naphthas) are comprised of normal, iso- and cycloparaffins and aromatic hydrocarbons with carbon numbers ranging from C4 to C12. Heavy straight run naphtha (HSRN, CAS number 64741-41-9) was selected for toxicity screening because substances of this type contain relatively high levels (28%) of cycloparaffins by comparison to other naphtha streams and the data complement...

This review on the formation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and dioxins during biomass fast pyrolysis was funded by the Washington State Department of Ecology. It includes a worldwide literature review of what is known and not known about this timely area. Areas needing further research and development work are identified and, as such, serve as a base for further work. For example, the need...

Low-temperature oxidation (LTO) of four Arabian crudes as well as blends of naphtha with a super-light crude was investigated employing differential thermal analysis. The mass fraction of un-saturates in the reactants varied between 0.2 and 0.9. All reactants showed LTO peaks between 230 and 264 oC; heat flow at the peak, however, varied widely. The data revealed a clear increase in LTO-generat...

Western Research Institute is developing a new pyrolysis process called ROPE© (Recycle Oil Pyrolysis and Extraction) for recovering products from tar sands that require a minimum of upgrading to produce finished, marketable fuels or that can be used as a diluent to decrease the pour point of bitumen for transportation. The concept consists of two pyrolysis steps: (1) retorting tar sand at a low...

A combined pyrolysis and gasification process for sewage sludge was studied in this paper for the purpose of its safe disposal with energy self-balance. Three sewage sludge samples with different dry basis lower heat values (LHV(db)) were used to evaluate the constraints on this combined process. Those samples were pre-dried and then pyrolysed within the temperature range of 400-550 degrees C. ...