GASEOUS HYDROCARBONS FROM FLASH PYROLYSIS OF ALMOND SHELLS

By use of a sand fluidized bed reactor, yields from major products from almond shells pyrolysis were measured in the 745-950°C temperature range. A Pyroprobe 100 pyrolyzer was also used to study the influence of particle size temperature and catalysts impregnated in the almond shell samples. The highest yield of gas was obtained in the sand fluidized bed reactor, without catalyst impregnated in the almond shells, at a temperature of 890°C and at a residence time of volatiles of ca. 2.3 s. Under these conditions, the yields of the major products are the following: 15 percent H2, 8.3 percent CH4, 4 percent C2H4, 45 percent CO, 28 percent CO2, 0.7 percent C2H6, 0.5 percent C3 H6 (weight dry basis). From the different set of experiments, it has been deduced that the production of the gaseous hydrocarbons can be explained taking into account the CO yield.