Biomass Pyrolysis

D.Nagaraju
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department
 CONTENT
 Introduction
 Types of Pyrolytic Reactors
 Parameters Influencing Pyrolysis Process
 Mechanism and Products of Biomass
Pyrolysis
 The Charcoal Making Process
 Factors Influencing The Charcoal Yield
 Different Types Of Charcoal Kiln

3
 INTRODUCTION
• Overview
– Pyrolysis is defined as irreversible chemical change
brought about by heat in the absence of oxygen.
– During pyrolysis biomass undergoes a sequence of
changes and normally yields a mixture of gases,
liquids and solid.
– The solid is called charcoal while the condensable
liquid is variously referred to as pyroligneous liquid,
pyroligneous liquor, pyroligneous acid or pyrolysis
oil. The gas is called producer gas or wood gas.
– Generally low temperatures and show heating rates
results in high yield of charcoal. This type of
pyrolysis is called carbonization
 INTRODUCTION
• Overview
– In a now obsolete process for production of
methanol, acetic acid and acetone, wood is heated in
a retort in absence of air and the liquid vapours are
condensed.
 This type of pyrolysis is generally called destructive
distillation.
– In a relatively recent development it is found that
yields of volatiles (gas and liquid) increase with the
rate of heating. At sufficiently high heating rates all
biomass can be nearly converted to volatiles.
 This is known as fast pyrolysis.
– Although pyrolysis (as a process for charcoal
making) has been known to man since time
immemorial, the complex pattern of series and
parallel reactions involved in the process is not yet
fully understood.
 INTRODUCTION
• Pyrolysis Technology Variant
– Pyrolysis processes classified based on heating
rates and residence time
Process Residence Heating Temp Products
Time Rate (C)
Carbonization Days Very low 400 Charcoal
Conventional 5 – 30 min Low 600 Oil, Gas, Char
Fast 0.5 – 5 sec Very high 650 Bio-oil
Flash-liquid < 1 sec High <650 Bio-oil
Flash-gas < 1 sec High <650 Chemicals, Gas
Ultra < 0.5 sec Very high 1000 Chemicals, Gas
Vacuum 2- 30 sec Medium 400 Bio-oil
Hydro-pyrolysis < 10 sec High <500 Bio-oil
Methano- < 10 sec High >700 Chemicals
pyrolysis
TYPES OF PYROLYTIC REACTORS
• System Configuration
– A pyrolysis system unit typically consists of the
equipment for biomass pre-processing, the pyrolysis
reactor, and equipment for downstream processing.
– Can be classified as units that produce heat and
biochar (using slow pyrolysis) or units that produce
biochar and bio-oils (using fast pyrolysis),
Gas
Heat
Condensers

Air
Biomas
Pyrolysis Combustion Combustion
vapors Biomas
s Chamber Gases
s
Pyrolysis
vapors
PYROLYSIS PYROLYSIS
REACTORS Bio-oil
REACTORS
Char Char

(a) Biochar and bio-oil production (b) Biochar and heat production
TYPES OF PYROLYTIC REACTORS
• Classification based on solid movement
– Reactors used for biomass pyrolysis is most
commonly classified depending on the way the solids
move through the reactor during pyrolysis.
 Type A:
No solid movement through the reactor during pyrolysis
(Batch reactors)
 Type B:
Moving bed (Shaft furnaces)
 Type C:
Movement caused by mechanical forces (e.g. rotary kiln,
rotating screw etc.)
 Type D:
Movement caused by fluid flow (e.g., fluidized bed, spouted
bed, entrained bed etc.)
TYPES OF PYROLYTIC REACTORS
• Classification based on method of heat
supplied
– Pyrolytic reactor can also be classified depending the
way heat is supplied to biomass:
 Type 1:
Part of the material burnt inside the reactor to provide the heat
to carbonize the remainder
 Type 2:
Direct heat transfer from hot gases produced by combustion
of the pyrolysis products or any other fuel outside the reactor.
 Type 3:
Direct heat transfer from inert hot material (hot gases or sand
introduced into the reactor).
 Type 4:
Indirect heat transfer through the reactor walls (i.e. external
heat source due to combustion of one or more pyrolysis
products or any other fuel).
TYPES OF PYROLYTIC REACTORS
• Variations in the Process and Reactors
– Many different combinations of modes of solid
movement and modes of heat transfer are possible in
practice.
– Accordingly, the type of a pyrolytic reactor can
probably be best specified by denoting it as type XI
where X stands for type of solid movement and I
indicates the type of heat transfer.
– Different names are often used to describe specific
type of pyrolytic reactors.
 The term “kiln” is used for devices producing only charcoal.
 The terms “retort” and “converter” are used for equipment's
capable of recovering by-products.
 The term “converter” normally refers to devices used for
pyrolyzing biomass of small particle size and the term “retort”
refers to equipment for pyrolysing log reduced in size to about
30 cm length and 18 cm diameter.
TYPES OF PYROLYTIC REACTORS
• Types of Pyrolysis Reactor Designs
– A number of different pyrolysis reactor designs are
available.
– These include Fluidized bed, Re-circulating fluidized
bed, Ablative, Rotating cone, Auger (or screw),
Vacuum, Transported bed, and Entrained flow.

Fluidized bed

Rotating cone
TYPES OF PYROLYTIC REACTORS
• Types of Pyrolysis Reactor Designs

Re-circulating
fluidized bed

Vacuum
TYPES OF PYROLYTIC REACTORS
• Types of Pyrolysis Reactor Designs
– As pyrolysis is a precursor to gasification and
combustion, the same reactors used for gasification
can be used for pyrolysis.
– Bubbling fluidized bed reactors are simpler to design
and construct than other reactor designs, and have
good gas to solids contact, good heat transfer, good
temperature control, and a large heat storage
capacity.
– Circulating fluidized bed pyrolysis reactors are
similar to bubbling fluidized bed reactors but have
shorter residence times for chars and vapors which
results in higher gas velocities, faster vapor and char
escape, and higher char content in the bio-oil.
– They have higher processing capacity, better gas-
solid contact, and improved ability to handle solids
that are difficult to fluidize.
TYPES OF PYROLYTIC REACTORS
• Heat Transfer Modes and features of
various reactors:
Reactor Mode of heat Typical features
type transfer
Fluidized 90% conduction; High heat transfer rates; Heat supply to fluidizing gas or to bed
bed 9% convection; directly; Limited char abrasion; Very good solids mixing;
1% radiation Particle size limit < 2 mm in smallest dimension; Simple reactor
configuration
Circulating 80% conduction; High heat transfer rates; High char abrasion from biomass and
fluidized 19% convection; char erosion; Leading to high char in product; Char/solid heat
bed 1% radiation carrier separation required; Solids recycle required; Increased
complexity of system; Maximum particle sizes up to 6 mm;
Possible liquids cracking by hot solids; Possible catalytic
activity from hot char; Greater reactor wear possible
Entrained 4% conduction; Low heat transfer rates; Particle size limit < 2 mm; Limited
flow 95% convection; gas/solid mixing
1% radiation
Ablative 95% conduction; Accepts large size feedstocks; Very high mechanical char
4% convection; abrasion from biomass; Compact design; Heat supply
1% radiation problematical; Heat transfer gas not required; Particulate
transport gas not always required
 PARAMETERS INFLUENCING
PYROLYSIS PROCESS
• The basic phenomena that take place
during pyrolysis:
– Heat transfer from a heat source, leading to an
increase in temperature inside the fuel;
– Initiation of pyrolysis reactions due to this increased
temperature, leading to the release of volatiles and
the formation of char;
– Outflow of volatiles, resulting in heat transfer
between the hot volatiles and cooler unpyrolysed
fuel;
– Condensation of some of the volatiles in the cooler
parts of the fuel to produce tar; and
– Autocatalytic secondary pyrolysis reactions due to
these interactions.
 PARAMETERS INFLUENCING
PYROLYSIS PROCESS
• Pyrolysis process control parameters:
– Important pyrolysis process control parameters
include:
 Heat rate (length of heating and intensity),
 Prevailing temperature and pressure
 The presence of ambient atmosphere
 The chemical composition of the fuel (e.g., the biomass
resource),
 Physical properties of the fuel (e.g. particle size, density),
 Residence time and the existence of catalysts.
– These parameters can be regulated by selection
among different reactor types and heat transfer
modes, such as gas–solid convective heat transfer
and solid–solid conductive heat transfer.