Products distribution and sulfur fixation during the pyrolysis of CaO conditioned textile dyeing sludge: Effects of pyrolysis temperature and heating rate

Textile dyeing sludge (TDS) is a typical industrial solid waste whose amount surged with the textile industry's development. Pyrolysis treatment is a promising technique for TDS to realize harmless disposal and resource reuse. However, the high content of organic compounds would cause sulfurous pollutants emission, reducing the economic feasibility during pyrolysis. This study aimed to fill the knowledge gaps about the thermal behavior, products distribution, kinetics, and sulfur transformation during TDS pyrolysis in 350–575 ℃ with the heating rate of 60, 600, and 6000 ℃/min, then investigate the sulfur fixation effect of CaO under representative conditions (350 ℃, 650 ℃ with 60 ℃/min, 6000 ℃/min). The primary decomposition stage of TDS is observed in 127–557 ℃, following the Avrami-Erofeev (n = 3) model, while the activation energy presents a convergent tendency with the increased heating rate. The pyrolysis temperature and heating rates impact the cracking of organic compounds, while a weakening effect is found for the sulfur distribution. CaO addition could efficiently realize sulfur fixation in char by absorbing sulfurous gas products, but SO 2 escape appeared with the increased CaO fraction. Pyrolysis condition at 650 ℃-60 ℃/min with 10 wt% CaO addition is recommended to achieve high sulfur retention, and the sulfur transformation mechanism in char during the TDS pyrolysis with and without CaO is proposed. Our findings provide novel and fundamental insights into the efficient disposal and pollution control during TDS pyrolysis.