Optimization of pyrolysis carbonization conditions based on energy efficiency for cotton stalk

With the use and depletion of fossil fuels, environmental pollution and energy crisis have become the biggest obstacles to the survival and development of human beings. Biomass energy utilization is an important way to solve this problem as it has wide source of raw material, and is clean and renewable. Biochar is an important form of biomass energy utilization, and it can not only change the waste straw into biomass energy, but also help reduce the greenhouse effect. The yield is a basic index in the study of pyrolysis technology; while the biochar is used as fuel, its calorific value is the factor directly reflecting the quality. These 2 indices are both necessary during the research. However, the existing research on the pyrolysis process of biochar is limited to all kinds of independent indices, and the optimal pyrolysis process is always not the same. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of pyrolysis process for biochar production were evaluated by the yield, calorific value and energy efficiency in order to design and optimize the process of carbonization of cotton stalk. The effects of the temperature, retention time and particle size on the yield and heating value of the biomass were studied; and the typical cotton stalk was taken as raw material to produce biochar under nitrogen gas atmosphere by slow pyrolysis. The results showed that: 1) The effects of pyrolysis temperature on the yield and heating value of the biomass were significant; the biochar yield was negatively correlated with heating value, and with the increase of the temperature, the yield of biochar decreased gradually, while the calorific value increased gradually. 2) The effect of retention time on the yield and heating value of the biochar was obvious, but it was not as obvious as the pyrolysis temperature; at the same time, it could be seen that the yield and heating value were negatively correlated, and with the increase of the retention time, the biochar yield decreased, while the calorific value increased. 3) Compared with the first 2 conditions, there was no significant change in the yield and heating value when the raw material particle size changed, which showed that the effects of particle size on the yield and calorific value were small. In addition, according to the general trend, we could still see a negative correlation between heating value and yield. Energy efficiency (ratio of total energy yield of biochar to energy yield of raw material) was proposed to coordinate the yield and calorific value, and the response surface analysis of the energy efficiency was carried out, from which the energy efficiency model was got. The results showed that when the temperature was 429℃, the retention time was 1.29 h, and the particle size was 0.32 mm, the predicted energy efficiency from the model reached the highest value, which was 78.95%. The model is validated by the experiment. The model can be used to guide the production of biochar with high energy efficiency, and provide the reference for energy efficient utilization. © 2016, Editorial Department of the Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering. All right reserved.