A comparison of different analytical techniques (energy dispersive X-ray fluorescent spectrometry, bomb calorimetry combined with ion chromatography and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry) for the determination of the bromine and antimony content of samples

In recent years, there has been intensive research into the use of pyrolysis to process toxic plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). During pyrolysis, the fate of the bromine and antimony content of the plastics is critical therefore, new and improved analytical techniques for analysing these elements in the pyrolysis products are being sought. In this work, the effectiveness of energy dispersive x-ray fluorescent spectrometry (EDXRFS) for the determination of bromine and antimony content of pyrolysis oils from waste electrical and electronic equipment have been tested. Samples were obtained by the pyrolysis of brominated high-impact polystyrene (Br-HIPS) and brominated acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (Br-ABS) at temperatures from 360 to 440 °C. The concentration range of both the bromine and antimony in the samples was very broad (0.05-17.94 wt% and 0.03-8.54 wt% respectively). The results from EDXRFS to those of more traditional and time consuming methods; bomb calorimetry combined with ion chromatography (EPA method 5050) for bromine and acid digestion combined with inductively coupled plasma-optical absorption spectrometry for antimony were compared.Based on our measurements, different statistical parameters were calculated for each analytical technique, which demonstrated that EDXRFS had been successfully applied to the determination of bromine and antimony concentration in the pyrolysis oils of Br-HIPS and Br-ABS. Errors resulting from matrix effects did occur, in particular correlations were found between the nitrogen content of the samples and the difference in bromine and antimony measured by EDXRFS and other methods (ion-chromatography and ICP-OES). However, these differences were found to be statistically insignificant, so we could conclude that EDXRFS is a suitable technique for analysing the bromine and antimony content of pyrolysis oils.     

Essential Quality Attributes of Tangible Bio‐Oils from Catalytic Pyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass

This review covers the characteristics of pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis bio‐oils by focusing on the fundamental factors that determine bio‐oil upgradability. The abundant works on the subject of bio‐oil production from lignocellulosic biomass were studied to establish the essential attributes of the bio‐oils for assessment of the oil stability and upgradability. Bio‐oils from catalytic pyrolysis processes relating to catalysts of different compositions and structures are discussed. A general relationship between the higher heating value and the oxygen content in the catalytic pyrolysis oils exists, but this relationship does not apply to the thermal pyrolysis oil. Reporting bio‐oil yield is meaningful only when the oxygen content of the oil is measured because the pyrolytic oil stability is mainly determined by the oxygen content. Isoenergy plot that associates bio‐oil yield with oxygen content is presented and discussed.     

生物质与废轮胎共热解催化热解油蒸发过程及其动力学研究

采用热重微商(TG-DTG)法考察生物质稻壳与废轮胎共热解经催化与非催化热解油的热失重行为，并同0#柴油的热失重行为进行了比较；同时采用Achar微分法和Coats-Redfern积分法对热解油热失重蒸发过程的蒸发热进行了计算，并结合Satava和Bagchi法确定了热失重蒸发过程的机理函数， 建立了0#柴油和在催化与非催化条件下得到的热解油蒸发过程的动力学方程，得出了在催化与非催化条件下热解油热失重过程的机理函数，其动力学方程为dα/dt=Ae-△vapH/RT(1-TBX〗α)2；而0#柴油的热失重蒸发过程动力学方程为dα/dt=1.5Ae-△vapH/RT(1-α)2/3\[1-(1-α)1/3\]-1。蒸发热的顺序由大到小依次为,柴油＞非催化热解油＞SBA-15热解油＞MCM-41热解油。结果表明，通过建立的模型函数得到的蒸发热与实验值非常接近。催化剂SBA-15和MCM-41的存在对降低高沸点馏分的物质具有一定作用，而SBA-15催化作用强于MCM-41。     

生物质组分及温度对闪速热解挥发分的影响

生物质是一种可再生、污染小的自然资源，它可以直接燃烧产生热能，也可以转化为气体、液体燃料或化工原料。生物质热转化技术近年来受到国内外学者的广泛重视。而热转化过程中，热解是第一步，与生物质组分、热解温度、滞留时间等因素有关。热重仪（TGA）是一种研究热解机理常用的方法，它适用于慢速程序升温的热解研究。研究发现，热解条件及生物质种类对反应表观活化能与表观频率因子等动力学参数有很大影响。层流炉闪速加热设备，已经用于煤的热解研究。本文利用自己设计的以热等离子体为热源的层流炉系统，对椰子壳、棉花秆和稻壳粉末进行了闪速热解实验研究及模型理论分析，探讨了生物质化学组分、热解温度和滞留时间对挥发分的影响，为生物质闪速热解提供了一定的基础数据。     

蒸汽活化生物质焦吸附模拟烟气中SO2和NO的研究

以麦秆和稻壳生物质为研究对象,在不同的热解温度、热解速率以及蒸汽活化温度条件下制备了生物质焦,采用比表面积与孔隙度分析仪测定生物质焦的比表面积和孔隙结构参数。利用固定床吸附装置,研究了热解温度、热解速率、活化温度和模拟烟气中SO₂和NO浓度等因素对生物质焦吸附SO₂和NO性能的影响。结果表明,蒸汽活化可以显著提高生物质焦的BET比表面积、D-R比表面积、D-R微孔容积和总孔容,降低其平均孔径,并显著增加蒸汽活化生物质焦对SO₂与NO吸附的起始穿透时间和吸附量。快速热解下制得的蒸汽活化焦对SO₂和NO的吸附效果优于慢速热解,热解温度为873 K的蒸汽活化焦的吸附性能明显好于热解温度为673与1 073 K的蒸汽活化焦。在973~1 173 K下,随着蒸汽活化温度的提高,蒸汽活化生物质焦对SO₂和NO的吸附量呈现先上升后下降的趋势。随着模拟烟气中SO₂与NO浓度的降低,蒸汽活化生物质焦对SO₂与NO吸附的起始穿透时间延长,但相应的SO₂和NO吸附量下降。在873 K、快速热解和1 073 K条件下制得的蒸汽活化麦秆焦对SO₂和NO吸附量最大,其值分别为109.02和21.77 mg/g。     

Effects of temperature and holding time during torrefaction on the pyrolysis behaviors of woody biomass

Torrefaction is the thermal treatment techniques performed at relatively low temperature (<300 °C) in an inert atmosphere, which aims to improve the fuel properties attractively. In this study, woody biomass (Leucaena leucocephala) was torrefied at various temperatures and holding times and the pyrolysis behaviors of the torrefied wood were examined in detail by using TG-MS technique. It was found that the carbon content and the calorific value of the torrefied leucaena increased significantly when temperature and holding time during the torrefaction increased. From the TG-MS analysis, the pyrolysis behaviors of the torrefied leucaena were significantly different from those of the raw leucaena. The char yield at 800 °C for the torrefied leucaena was increased when increasing the holding time during the torrefaction. On the other hand, the tar yield during the pyrolysis decreased significantly with the increase in the holding time during the torrefaction. Through the results from the TG-MS analysis, it was concluded that the structure of leucaena was changed by the torrefaction at temperature below 275 °C and the cross-linking reactions occurred during the pyrolysis resulting in increase in char yields and decrease in tar yields. It was also suggested that the longer the holding time during the torrefaction, the more the cross-linking reactions proceed during the pyrolysis. The results obtained from the study provide the basic information for the pyrolyser and/or gasifier design by using torrefied biomass as a fuel.     

Co-pyrolysis of macroalgae and lignocellulosic biomass

Synergistic effect of co-pyrolysis of macroalgae [Enteromorpha prolifera (EP)] and lignocellulosic biomass [rice husk (RH)] in a fixed bed reactor for maximum and enhanced biofuels yield has been investigated. The main and interaction effects of three effective co-pyrolysis parameters (pyrolysis temperature, feedstock blending ratio, and heating rate) were also modeled and simulated to determine the yield rates of bio-oil and bio-char, respectively. Optimization studies were, then, performed to predict the optimal conditions for maximum yields using the central composite circumscribed experimental design in Design Expert^® software 8.0.6. Analysis of variance was carried out to determine whether the fit of the multiple regressions is significant for the second-order model. Normal pyrolysis oils from EP, RH, and co-pyrolysis oils obtained from different feedstock blending ratios were examined using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify their compositions. Some vital properties of oils and bio-chars such as the heating value, water content, elemental compositions, and specific gravity were also determined, which unveiled that synergistic effect exists between EP and RH during co-pyrolysis, and this led to increase in products’ yields and improved co-pyrolysis products’ quality.

     

Molecular-beam mass-spectrometric analysis of lignocellulosic materials : I. Herbaceous biomass

A rapid analytical technique has been developed to qualitatively screen and quantitatively analyze biomass feedstocks for conversion into hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals. In this rapid analytical pyrolysis approach, herbaceous biomass feedstocks stored in the open without cover for 6 to 9 months were characterized using the molecular-beam mass spectrometer (MBMS). The biomass materials were pyrolyzed at 600°C and the volatile pyrolysis products were analyzed in real time by the MBMS. The mass spectral data were further analyzed by multivariate statistical techniques (Factor Analysis). The contents of nitrogen compounds, pentosans and hexosans estimated from the pyrolysis mass-spectrometric/multivariate analysis techniques correlated well with the results obtained by conventional wet chemical methods. However, lignin correlation was very weak because of the presence of microbial degradation products of biomass (humic material) that interfered with the Klason lignin analysis.

This rapid analytical technique was used to analyze various fractions of the stored biomass feedstocks. A comparison of exposed surface biomass materials and the unexposed materials showed that the exposed fraction lost 30% (wt) of the carbohydrate component of the biomass relative to the fresh material.     

Analysis of products from the pyrolysis of plastics recovered from the commercial scale recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment

Three plastic fractions from a commercial waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) processing plant were collected and investigated for the possibility of recycling them by batch pyrolysis. The first plastic was from equipment containing cathode ray tubes (CRTs), the second plastic was from refrigeration equipment, and the third plastic was from mixed WEEE. Initially, the decomposition of each of the plastics was investigated using a TGA linked to a FT-ir spectrometer which showed that the CRT plastic decomposed to form aliphatic and aromatic compounds, the refrigerator plastic decomposed to form aldehydes, CO₂, aromatic, and aliphatic compounds, and the mixed WEEE plastic decomposed to form aromatic and aliphatic compounds, CO₂, and CO. Each plastic mixture was also pyrolysed in a batch reactor to determine the halogen and metal content of the pyrolysis products, additionally, characterisation of the pyrolysis oils was carried out by GC–MS and the pyrolysis gases by GC–FID and GC–TCD. It was found that the halogen content of the oils was relatively low but the halogen and metal content of the chars was high. The pyrolysis oils were found to contain valuable chemical products and the pyrolysis gases were mainly halogen free, making them suitable as a fuel.     

Chemical characterization of gorse pyrolytic oils by capillary gas chromatography

Thermochemical conversion of biomass produces solid charcoal, gaseous fuels, and condensable oils. Because these oils vary widely in composition depending on the cellulosic feedstock and the operating conditions used, analysis of the oils is necessary in order to determine the best ways of utilizing or disposing of them. The major components of the organic oil from pyrolysis of gorse have been characterized by capillary gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. A qualitative study of the aqueous oil from the same source has also been attempted.     

Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric study of the oil fractions produced by microwave-assisted pyrolysis of different sewage sludges

The pyrolysis of sewage sludge was studied in a microwave oven using graphite as microwave absorber. The pyrolysis temperature ranged from 800 to 1000 degrees C depending on the type of sewage sludge. A conventional electrical furnace was also employed in order to compare the results obtained with both methods. The pyrolysis oils were trapped in a series of condensers and their characteristics such as elemental analysis and calorific value were determined and compared with those of the initial sludge. The oil composition was analyzed by GC-MS. The oils from the microwave oven had n-alkanes and 1-alkenes, aromatic compounds, ranging from benzene derivatives to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrogenated compounds, long chain aliphatic carboxylic acids, ketones and esters and also monoterpenes and steroids. The oil from the electric oven was composed basically of PAHs such as naphthalene, acenapthylene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzofluoranthenes, benzopyrenes, indenepyrene, benzo[ghi]perylene, and anthanthrene. In contrast, these compounds were not produced in the case of microwave-assisted pyrolysis.     

Solubilization of oils or addition of monoglycerides drives the formation of wormlike micelles with an elliptical cross-section in cholesterol-based surfactants: a study by rheology, SANS, and cryo-TEM

We report the formation of wormlike micelles (WLM) in poly(oxyethylene) cholesteryl ether (ChEO(10)) aqueous solutions by the addition of lipophilic monoglycerides at room temperature (monolaurin (ML), monocaprin (MC), and monocaprylin (MCL)) bearing 12-, 10-, and 8-carbon alkyl chains, respectively. A combination of rheology, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), and cryo-TEM was used to study their viscoelastic properties and structure. With the successive addition of cosurfactant, a significant increase in viscosity and a clear solidlike behavior is obtained, suggesting the formation of a viscoelastic network of wormlike micelles. Only for MCL is typical Maxwellian behavior obtained. The onset of micellar growth, as detected by the occurrence of solidlike behavior and a significant increase in viscosity, is obtained for 0.30 (1 wt%), 0.34 (1 wt%), and 0.60 (1.5 wt%) cosurfactant/ChEO(10) molar ratios with ML, MC, and MCL, respectively. With ML and MC, extremely long relaxation times (exceeding 20 s) compared to those of MCL are obtained, and zero-shear viscosity values are more than 1 order of magnitude higher than with MCL. These results show that cosurfactants with longer alkyl chain lengths (ML and MC) induce the formation of longer wormlike micelles and do so at lower concentrations. SANS measurements on dilute solutions confirm that the viscoelastic behavior correlates with an increase in contour length and reveals an elliptical cross-section with an axial ratio of around 2. Cryo-TEM images provide visual evidence of the wormlike micelles and confirm the elliptical shape of the cross-section. The addition of small amounts of aliphatic oils (ethyl butyrate, EB, and ethyl caprylate, EC) and cyclic oils (peppermint, PP, and tea tree, TT, oils) to ChEO(10) solutions induces wormlike micelle formation at a lower cosurfactant concentration or even in its absence (for PP, TT, and EC) because of their probable localization in the palisade layer. The viscosity peak and height of the plateau modulus occur at increasing monoglyceride concentration following the order PP ≈ TT > EC > EB > no oil.     

Fast pyrolysis of rice straw,sugarcane bagasse and coconut shell in an induction-heating reactor

With the application of induction heating, a fast pyrolysis was used for producing valuable products from rice straw, sugarcane bagasse and coconut shell in an externally heated fixed-bed reactor. The effect of process parameters such as pyrolysis temperature, heating rate and holding time on the yields of pyrolysis products and their chemical compositions were investigated. The maximum yield of ca. 50% on the pyrolysis liquid product could be obtained at the proper process conditions. The chemical characterization by elemental (CHNO), calorific, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC–MS) showed that the pyrolysis liquid products contain large amounts of water (>65 wt.%), and fewer contents of oxygenated hydrocarbons composing of carbonyl groups, resulting in low pH and low heating values. The results were very similar to bio-oils obtained from other biomass materials. The residual solid (char or charcoal) was also characterized in the present study.     

Low temperature microwave-assisted vs conventional pyrolysis of various biomass feedstocks

A comparison between conventional pyrolysis and a novel developed low-temperature microwave-assisted pyrolysis methodology has been performed for the valorisation of a range of biomass feedstocks including waste residues.Microwave pyrolysis was found to efficiently deliver comparable evolution of bio-gases in the system as compared with conventional pyrolysis at significantly reduced temperatures(120 180 C vs 250 400 C).The gas obtained from microwave-assisted pyrolysis was found to contain CO 2,CH 4 and CO as major components as well as other related chemicals(e.g.acids,aldehydes,alkanes) which were obtained in different proportions depending on the selected feedstock.     

Identification and classification of components in flash pyrolysis oil and hydrodeoxygenated oils by two-dimensional gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Hydrodeoxygenated pyrolysis oils (HDO) are considered promising renewable liquid energy carriers. To gain insights in the various reaction pathways taking place during the hydrodeoxygenation reaction of pyrolysis oil, two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometric analyses (2D-GC-TOF-MS) was applied on the feedstock and product oil. Chromatographic parameters like injection temperature and column choice of the 1D-(2)D ensemble are discussed. Fractionation of the oils by hexane extraction was applied to show the distribution of analytes over the phases. Some 1000 and 2000 components in the pyrolysis and HDO oil, respectively could be identified and classified. The TOF-MS detection considerably improved the understanding of the molecular distribution over the 1D-(2)D retention time fields in the contour plot, in order to classify the analytes in functional groups. By group-type classification of the main components (>0.3% relative area), it was possible to characterize the oils by 250 and 350 analytes, respectively pyrolysis oil and HDO oil, describing 75% of the chromatographable fraction. The 2D-GC-TOF-MS method showed to be a useful and fast technique to determine the composition of (upgraded) pyrolysis oil and is potentially a very useful tool for exploratory catalyst research and kinetic studies. The 2D-GC-TOF-MS technique is not only useful for the chemical study as such, but also provides the basic knowledge for method transfer to a 2D-GC-FID (flame ionization detector) application.     

In-situ pyrolysis and silylation for analysis of lipid materials used in paint layers

Summary Although pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) is a useful technique for the rapid characterization of the organic materials used by artists, diagnostic pyrolysis products bearing polar groups, for example carboxylic acids, require derivatization (e. g. methylation) before GC separation. In this study we propose the use of hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) as an effective on-line derivatizing reagent to prepare the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of fatty acids released from the pyrolysis of fats. Pyrolysis in combination with HMDS has been applied to the analysis of lipid materials employed as painting media, for example siccative oils and egg.     

Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering studies of the morphology of ionomers

Preliminary small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies have been made of different ionomers in the dry state and after saturation with water. Scattering from the dry samples arises from differences in the neutron scattering cross sections of the ionic and nonionic units in the polymer. The SANS technique is complementary to previous small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) studies since the SANS contrast differences are generally quite different than those for SAXS. A quantitative comparison is made of SANS and SAXS intensities for a dry cesium salt of an ethylene-methacrylic acid (E-MAA) copolymer. For water-saturated samples the technique of isotopic replacement can be used in conjunction with SANS since saturation can be effected with either H₂O or D₂O. In this case information about the chemical composition of the phases is obtained from an analysis of the intensity ratio I/I. Results are consistent with the presence of a separate phase containing water molecules and ions in a matrix of the nonionic units. A Guinier analysis gives a radius of gyration of 17 Å for a water-saturated cesium salt of an E-MAA copolymer.     

Effects of pyrolysis conditions on the physical characteristics of oil-palm-shell activated carbons used in aqueous phase phenol adsorption

Oil-palm shells, a biomass by-product from palm-oil mills, were converted into activated carbons by vacuum or nitrogen pyrolysis, followed by steam activation. The effects of pyrolysis environment, temperature and hold time on the physical characteristics of the activated carbons were studied. The optimum pyrolysis conditions for preparing activated carbons for obtaining high pore surface area are vacuum pyrolysis at a pyrolysis temperature of 675 °C and 2 h hold time. The activation conditions were fixed at a temperature of 900 °C and 1 h hold time. The activated carbons thus obtained possessed well-developed porosities, predominantly microporosities. For the pyrolysis atmosphere, it was found that significant improvement in the surface characteristics of the activated carbons was obtained for those pyrolysed under vacuum. Adsorption capacities of activated carbons were determined using phenol solution. For the activated carbons pyrolysed under optimum vacuum conditions, a maximum phenol adsorption capacity of 166 mg/g of carbon was obtained. A linear relationship between the BET surface area and the adsorptive capacity was shown.     

Comparative study of crude oils from the Machete area in the Eastern Venezuelan Basin by pyrolysis of asphaltenes

This work is an analysis of crude oil samples from the two most recent producing wells in the Machete area (Orinoco Tar Belt, Venezuela). The aim is to determine the type of environment in which the precursor organic materials were deposited. In spite of the fact that the degree of maturity and the biodegradation of the two crude oils are similar, their characterization leads us to conclude that they have very distinctive and different origins. The comparative study was performed by separating their main fractions, pyrolysis of asphaltenes, and further identification of several indicators (aromatic, polar and sulfur compounds, linear aliphatic hydrocarbons, and cadalene). Moreover, several biomarkers (terpanes, hopanoids and steranes) present in the saturated fractions obtained from the two crude oils were analyzed by using gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The statistical study of geochemical indicator values and relative proportions of lipid and lipid-like biomarkers present in products from asphaltene pyrolysis shows a high probability of there being two distinct crude oil families from the Machete area.