Comprehensive Modeling of Heat Transfer in Cellulose Pyrolysis with Detailed Kinetic Schemes

Abstract

In the past few years, biomass pyrolysis has attracted interest as a promising way to convert biomass such as cellulose into valuable resources. However, a comprehensive conversion process is still difficult to realize due to the complex physical and chemical processes of cellulose pyrolysis. In this study, a comprehensive model of heat transfer in cellulose pyrolysis was developed. The model includes detailed kinetic reaction scheme and heat transfer description, accounting for the evolution of the physical properties and the condensation of volatiles that results from mass transport limitations. The experiments were conducted in a self-developed apparatus by varying the thickness, void fraction, and heating rate of the samples. The predicted results of different samples were well agreed with the experimental data. This model enables predicting the product distribution of cellulose pyrolysis and in turn can be used to assess the feasibility, design, and scalability of industrial conversion applications.