Biomass pyrolysis in a fixed-bed reactor: Effects of pyrolysis parameters on product yields and characterization of products

Slow pyrolysis of eastern giant fennel (Ferula orientalis L.) stalks has been performed in a fixed-bed tubular reactor with (ZnO, Al2O3) and without catalyst at six different temperatures ranging from 350 °C to 600 °C with heating rates of 15, 30, 50 °C/min. The amounts of bio-char, bio-oil and gas produced, as well as the compositions of the resulting bio-oils were determined by FT-IR and GC–MS. The effects of pyrolysis parameters such as temperature, catalyst and ratio of catalyst, particle size (Dp) and sweeping gas flow rate on product yields were investigated. According to results, temperature and catalyst seem to be the main factors effecting the conversion of F. orientalis L. into solid, liquid and gaseous products. The highest liquid yield (45.22%) including water was obtained with 15% zinc oxide catalyst at 500 °C temperature at a heating rate of 50 °C/min when 0.224 > Dp > 0.150 mm particle size raw material and 100 cm3/min of sweeping gas flow rate were used.