The purpose of this study is to determine the pyrolysis characteristics and gas product properties of palm oil wastes, to promote a general idea of converting the wastes to an energy source. The palm oil waste contains ∼50 wt % carbon, 7 wt % hydrogen, and a trace amount of ash. The low heat value (LHV) of these wastes is ∼20 MJ/kg. They are ideal energy sources for biofuel generation. Thermal analysis demonstrates that these wastes are easily decomposed, with most of their weight lost from 220 °C to 340 °C at slow heating rates. The pyrolysis process could be divided into four stages:  moisture evaporation, hemicellulose decomposition, cellulose decomposition, and lignin degradation. The kinetic analysis showed that the reaction order for the pyrolysis of palm oil wastes and three model biomass components (hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin) is 1. The activation energy of the palm oil wastes is ∼60 kJ/mol. The decomposition process is prolonged and the maximum mass loss rate is decreased when the heating rate is increased from 0.1 °C/min to 100 °C/min. Varying the particle size from 250 μm to >2 mm has no significant influence on pyrolysis. The main gaseous products from the pyrolysis of palm oil waste are identified using thermogravimetric analysis−Fourier transform infrared (TGA−FTIR) spectroscopy, and, particularly, their real-time evolution characteristics are investigated. This fundamental study provides a basic insight of the palm oil waste pyrolysis, which can benefit our current work in developing an advanced thermal processes for high-yield biofuel production from palm oil waste.

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Alkaline activated carbons are widely used as adsorbents of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), one of the major odorous compounds arising from sewage treatment facilities. Although a number of studies have explored the effects of various parameters, mechanisms of H2S adsorption by alkaline carbons are not yet fully understood. The major difficulty seems to lie in the fact that little is known with certainty about the predominant reactions occurring on the carbon surface. In this study, the surface properties of alkaline activated carbons were systematically investigated to further exploit and better understand the mechanisms of H2S adsorption by alkaline activated carbons. Two commercially available alkaline activated carbons and their representative exhausted samples (8 samples collected at different height of the column after H2S breakthrough tests) were studied. The 8 portions of the exhausted carbon were used to represent the H2S/carbon reaction process. The surface properties of both the original and the exhausted carbons were characterized using the sorption of nitrogen (BET test), surface pH, Boehm titration, thermal and FTIR analysis. Porosity and surface area provide detailed information about the pore structure of the exhausted carbons with respect to the reaction extent facilitating the understanding of potential pore blockages. Results of Boehm titration and FTIR both demonstrate the significant effects of surface functional groups, and identification of oxidation products confirmed the different mechanisms involved with the two carbons. From the DTG curves of thermal analysis, two well-defined peaks representing two products of surface reactions (i.e., sulfur and sulfuric acid) were observed from the 8 exhausted portions with gradually changing patterns coinciding with the extent of the reaction. Surface pH values of the exhausted carbons show a clear trend of pH drop along the reaction extent, while pH around 2 was observed for the bottom of the bed indicating sulfuric acid as the predominant products. Although both carbons are coal-based and of KOH impregnated type, performances of different carbons differ significantly. A correlation is well established to link the reaction extent with various surface properties. In summary, not only the homogeneous alkali impregnation and physical porosity but also the carbon surface chemistry are significant factors influencing the performances of alkaline activated carbons as H2S adsorbents.

Hydrochloride (HCl) is an acidic pollutant present in the flue gas of most municipal or hazardous waste incinerators. Hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2) is often used as a dry sorbent for injection in a spray reactor to remove HCI. However, due to the short residence time encountered, this control method has generally been found to have low conversion efficiencies which results in the high lime usage and generates large amount of fly ash as solid wastes. A fundamental study was carried outto investigate the kinetics of HCl-lime reaction under simulated flue gas conditions in order to better understand the process thereby providing a basis for an optimized lime usage and reduced fly ash production. The initial reaction rate and conversion of three limes were studied using a thermogravimetric analyzer by varying the gas flow rate, temperature (170-400 degrees C), and HCI concentrations (600-1200 mg/m3) as well as the associated particle size and surface area of the limes. The initial lime conversions were found to rely mostly on the residence time, while the ultimate lime conversions were strongly influenced by temperature and the reaction products. CaOHCI was found to be the primary product in most cases, while for one specific lime, CaCl2 was the ultimate conversion product after an extended time period. The true utilization of lime in flue gas cleanup is thus higher when CaOHCl is considered as the final product than those based on CaCl2 as the final product, which has been commonly used in previous studies. The initial reaction was controlled by diffusion of HCl in gas phase and the subsequent reaction by gaseous diffusion through the developing product layer. Increasing the HCI concentration raised the initial rate as well as conversion. However, overloading the lime with excessive HCI caused clogging at its surface and a drop in the ultimate conversion. Limes with smaller particle diameters and higher surface areas were found to be more reactive. The effect of gas-phase mass transfer was minimized when an optimum flow rate was chosen, and in the absence of internal diffusion the reaction was found to be first order with respect to HCI concentration.