Combustion characteristics and kinetic model of bio-oil from pyrolysis of sludge

The combustion characteristics of bio-oil from pyrolysis of sludge were investigated by thermogravimetry (TG) method. The combustion process could be divided into two weight loss stages. The first stage is characterized by homogeneous combustion between light organics, after volatilization, and oxygen, the second stage is characterized by heterogeneous combustion between organic matters, which are hard to volatilization, and oxygen, the former stage being the main cause of weight loss. The effect of heating rate was studied and it is found that increasing heating rate will facilitate combustion. The gas from combustion was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) method, and the analytical result was in agreement with that from TG analysis. Based on the TG curves, kinetic reaction was studied and kinetic parameters were calculated. The change of activation energy indicated that higher heating rate will benefit combustion.