Interaction of the volatiles from co-pyrolysis of pig manure with cellulose/glucose and their effects on char properties

In this study, the co-pyrolysis of pig manure with cellulose and glucose were investigated at various heating rates. The results demonstrated that potential cross-interaction of the volatiles from the co-pyrolysis facilitated the cracking reaction, resulted in the formation of less charry products and less tarry compounds in the co-pyrolysis. The volatiles interaction also enhanced the evolution of the organics with the π-conjugated ring structures in the bio-oil and remarkably affect the char properties. The dehydration and condensation reactions were promoted during the fast co-pyrolysis of manure with cellulose and glucose, leading to the increased carbon content (from 20.0%–46.5 and 43.0 %), the higher thermal stability, and the enhanced crystallinity of carbon structure in the char formed. In addition, the in-situ Diffuse Reflection Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) characterization indicates that the interaction of volatiles in the co-pyrolysis obviously affected the evolution of the functionalities of the char and the reaction network. Additionally, the HHV (37.2 and 37.9 vs 28.0 MJ/Kg) and the energy yield (66.3 and 68.2 vs 66.2 %) of the char from the co-pyrolysis was higher than that of the manure, which was beneficial for the utilize of the char as solid fuel.