Yong Chi

TG-FTIR study on urea-formaldehyde resin residue during pyrolysis and combustion.

The pyrolysis and combustion characteristics of urea-formaldehyde resin (UFR) residue were investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis, coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR). It is indicated that the pyrolysis process can be subdivided into three stages: drying the sample, fast thermal decomposition and further cracking process. The total weight loss of 90 wt.% at 950 degrees C is found in pyrolysis, while 74 wt.% of the original mass lost in the second stage is between 195 degrees C and 430 degrees C. The emissions of carbon dioxide, isocyanic acid, ammonia, hydrocyanic acid and carbon monoxide are identified in UFR residue pyrolysis, moreover, isocyanic acid emitted at low temperature is found as the most important nitrogen-containing gaseous product in UFR residue pyrolysis, and there is a large amount of hydrocyanic acid emitted at high temperature. The similar TG and emission characteristics as the first two stages during pyrolysis are found in UFR residue combustion at low temperature. The combustion process almost finishes at 600 degrees C; moreover, carbon dioxide and water are identified as the main gaseous products at high temperature. It is indicated that the UFR residue should be pyrolyzed at low temperature to remove the initial nitrogen, and the gaseous products during pyrolysis should be burnt in high temperature furnace under oxygen-rich conditions for pollutant controlling.

Experimental studies on municipal solid waste pyrolysis in a laboratory-scale rotary kiln

A laboratory-scale, externally heated, rotary-kiln pyrolyser was designed and built. Pyrolysis tests were performed. Solid wastes (paper, paperboard, waste plastics including PVC and PE, rubber, vegetal materials, wood, and orange husk) were tested. The effects of heating methods, moisture contents and size of waste on pyrolysis gas yields and compositions, as well as heating values, were evaluated.

Two-dimensional tomography for gas concentration and temperature distributions based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy

A tomography system is presented that uses wavelength-scanned direct absorption of two transitions of a target species (NH3 in the demonstration experiment) to determine the distributions of gas concentration and temperature. The absorption measurements are performed simultaneously from four platforms that each rotate a beam from a single laser through an 11° arc, acquiring a data set from all four laser platforms in 100 ms to enable observation of dynamic flow events. The laser is wavelength scanned through two absorption transitions with different internal energy producing two sets of equations with species mole fraction and temperature as independent variables. The mole fraction and temperature distributions are reconstructed using the algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) for this set of incomplete projections. A numerical simulation is used to evaluate the measurement accuracy for measurements of an NH3 mixture escaping from an open pipe. This phantom distribution is then realized in the laboratory and the measurement strategy is demonstrated using a tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) measurement using a single laser near 1.5 µm to scan adjacent transitions in NH3. The reconstruction of NH3 concentration and gas temperature is compared with independently determined values to illustrate the fidelity of the tomographically reconstructed distributions for the NH3 mole fraction assuming a fixed temperature and for unknown mole fraction and temperature. Potential extensions of this research in the future include evaluation of other reconstruction algorithms and investigation of the dynamic distribution of various gases for combustion diagnostics.

Pyrolysis of solid waste in a rotary kiln: influence of final pyrolysis temperature on the pyrolysis products

Temperature is one of the most important parameters in pyrolysis reaction. In present work, an externally heated laboratory-scale rotary-kiln pyrolyser was designed and developed. The influence of final pyrolysis temperature (FPT) on the pyrolytic products of solid wastes has been studied. Raising FPT caused increasing gas yield and decreasing semi-coke yield. The average heat value of the gas also changed with FPT. The content of aliphatic hydrocarbons in PE tar increased initially and then decreased with increasing FPT. Parallel to this, the content of aromatic ring changed conversely. FPT had obvious influence on the primary and elemental analysis data of the semi-cokes. The CO2 reactivity of the semi-cokes also varied with the FPT. The kinetic parameters of the semi-cokes were different for the same material at the different FPT.

Gasification characteristics of MSW and an ANN prediction model

Gasification characteristics make up the important parts of municipal solid waste (MSW) gasification and melting technology. These characteristics are closely related to the composition of MSW, which alters with climates and seasons. It is important to find a practical way to predict gasification characteristics. In this paper, five typical kinds of organic components (wood, paper, kitchen garbage, plastic, and textile) and three representative types of simulated MSW are gasified in a fluidized-bed at 400-800 degrees C with the equivalence ratio (ER) in the range of 0.2-0.6. The lower heating value (LHV) of gas, gasification products, and gas yield are reported. The results indicate that gasification characteristics are different from sample to sample. Based on the experimental data, an artificial neural networks (ANN) model is developed to predict gasification characteristics. The training and validating relative errors are within +/-15% and +/-20%, respectively, and predicting relative errors of an industrial sample are below +/-25%. This indicates that it is acceptable to predict gasification characteristics via ANN model.

Pyrolysis characteristics of organic components of municipal solid waste at high heating rates

The pyrolysis characteristics of six representative organic components of municipal solid waste (MSW) and their mixtures were studied in a specially designed thermogravimetric analysis apparatus with a maximum recorded heating rate of 864.8 degrees Cmin(-1). The pyrolysis behavior of individual components was described by the Avrami-Erofeev equation. The influence of final temperature on individual components was studied, and it was concluded that final temperature was a factor in reaction speed and intensity, but that it played only a limited role in determining the reaction mechanism. The interactions between different components were evaluated, and it was concluded that the interaction between homogeneous materials was minimal, whereas the interaction between polyethylene and biomass was significant.

Axial transport and residence time of MSW in rotary kilns: Part I. Experimental

Abstract Experiments on the influences of operational variables on the axial transport of both heterogeneous municipal solid waste (MSW) and homogenous sand are conducted in a continuous lab-scale rotary kiln cold simulator. Compared with sand, the residence time of MSW has a relatively large discrepancy with the ideal normal distribution due to the trajectory segregation of MSW components. The residence time at different axial zone is quite different due to the varied bed depth profile along the kiln length. MSW has a longer mean residence time (MRT) and a lower material volumetric flow (MVF) than sand because of the higher θd than sand. The increment of both rotating speed and kiln slope reduces MRT, and increases MVF. Exit dam has a significant impact on the MRT and the influence of internal structure group consisting of various axial ribs and circular ribs is mainly determined by the height of circular ribs. Inside wall roughness also has effect on MRT through changing the bed regimes. For a case with the certain inlet and exit bed depths, the product of MRT and MVF holds at a constant within the limits of experimental errors in spite of the changing experimental variables.

Moisture distribution in sludges based on different testing methods.

Moisture distributions in municipal sewage sludge, printing and dyeing sludge and paper mill sludge were experimentally studied based on four different methods, i.e., drying test, thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) test, thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) test and water activity test. The results indicated that the moistures in the mechanically dewatered sludges were interstitial water, surface water and bound water. The interstitial water accounted for more than 50% wet basis (wb) of the total moisture content. The bond strength of sludge moisture increased with decreasing moisture content, especially when the moisture content was lower than 50% wb. Furthermore, the comparison among the four different testing methods was presented. The drying test was advantaged by its ability to quantify free water, interstitial water, surface water and bound water; while TG-DSC test, TG-DTA test and water activity test were capable of determining the bond strength of moisture in sludge. It was found that the results from TG-DSC and TG-DTA test are more persuasive than water activity test.

Emission characteristics of dioxins, furans and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during fluidized-bed combustion of sewage sludge

Pre-dried sewage sludge with high sulfur content was combusted in an electrically heated lab-scale fluidized-bed incinerator. The emission characteristics of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were studied. Coal and calcium oxide (CaO) were added during the sewage sludge combustion tests to optimize combustion conditions and control SO2 emission. The results indicated that the flue gases emitted during mono-combustion of sewage sludge were characterized by relatively high concentrations of SO2, NOx and organic pollutants, due to the high sulfur, nitrogen, and volatile matter content of sewage sludge. The total 16 USEPA priority PAHs and 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs produced from sewage sludge combustion were found to be 106.14 microg/m3 and 8955.93 pg/m3 in the flue gas, respectively. In the case of co-combustion with coal (m(sludge)/m(coal) = 1:1), the 16 PAHs and 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs concentrations were markedly lower than those found during mono-combustion of sewage sludge. During co-combustion, a suppressant effect of CaO on PCDD/Fs formation was observed.

Analysis of volatile species kinetics during typical medical waste materials pyrolysis using a distributed activation energy model.

The complex reactions of typical medical waste materials pyrolysis and the evolution of different volatile species can be well represented by a Distributed Activation Energy Model (DAEM). In this study, A thermogravimetric analyser (TGA), coupled with Fourier transform infrared analysis of evolving products (TG-FTIR), were used to perform kinetic analysis of typical medical waste materials pyrolysis. A simple direct search method was used for the determination of DAEM kinetic parameters and the yield of individual pyrolysis products under any given heating condition. The agreement between the model prediction and the experimental data was generally good. The results can be used as inputs to a pyrolysis model based on first-order kinetic expression with a Gaussian Distribution of Activation Energies as a sub-model to CFD code.