Primary Study of Woody Biomass and Coal for Energy Production Investigated by TGA-FTIR Analysis

• Main Authors: Qingzheng Cheng, Brian Via, Jingxin Wang, John Zondlo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: North Carolina State University 2015-04-01
• Series: BioResources
• Subjects: Biomass; Coal; Energy; Pyrolysis; TGA-FTIR
• Online Access: http://ojs.cnr.ncsu.edu/index.php/BioRes/article/view/BioRes_09_2_2899_Cheng_Woodt_Biomass_Coal_Energy

The purpose of this study was to determine the pyrolysis characteristics and gas properties of woody biomass and coal. The main gases from the pyrolysis of biomass, coal, and mixtures of different ratios of the two were identified using TGA-FTIR. The evolution of gases and their characteristics were investigated in real time. Thermal analysis demonstrated that the biomass sources decomposed easily and that most of their weight was lost under lower temperatures than those of coal. TGA-FTIR analysis indicated that H2, CO2, CH4, and CO were the dominant gases released during the pyrolysis of biomass and mixtures. The results indicated that woody biomass could enhance coal pyrolysis or gasification and different types of biomass could have different influences on the thermal behavior of coal.