Estimation of kinetic parameters for imperata cylindrica flash pyrolysis

Abstract

Flash pyrolysis of biomass has been identified as a viable Thermochemical process of converting biomass to biooil (Tar). A new biomass (Imperata cylindrica) under consideration as all the characteristic of an energy crop, with the ability to burn even when green. It is abundantly available in South-East Asia, however, as farmers’ nightmare weed. In this paper a model was developed for flash pyrolysis of Imperata cylindrica in a batch transported bed reactor. The model developed was used to further understand the kinetic behavior of Imperata cylindrica pyrolysis as a lignocellulosic biomass. The kinetic analysis is based on a modified Broido-Shafizadeh kinetic mechanism and expressed as a first-order reaction of 6- lump model. The 8-paired kinetic parameters generated from the Arrhenius equation (frequency factor k0 and activation energy (....) were estimated by optimizing the kinetic model using the laboratory measured data and order of magnitude analysis. Using the estimated kinetic parameters the model predicts the biomass consumption and biooil production within the average deviation of ±10% of the experimental data.