Investigation of pyrolysis kinetics and gaseous compounds emitted during charcoal production from woods commonly used in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

Air pollution caused by the traditional charcoal production industry is an environmental problem for developing countries. Avocado (Persea americana) and Lemon (Citrus limon) trees that are commonly used in the charcoal industry in the Eastern Mediterranean were chosen as representatives of charcoal raw material in a wood pyrolysis kinetic study that was conducted using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The weight loss was measured in a nitrogen atmosphere with a heating rate of 10 °C.min−1 at a temperature range from 30 °C to 700 °C. Four main stages, denoted as dehydration, initial decomposition and both active and final decomposition, were registered in the wood thermal decomposition. The main gases produced were identified in the active decomposition stage for lemonwood and avocado wood, respectively, in the temperature range of 255 to 355 °C and 246 to 340 °C. The released gases in the biomass pyrolysis were measured on‐line using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Main gas products of avocado and lemonwood pyrolysis were similar and included CO2, CO, H2O, CH4, and several organic compounds including methanol, formic acid, acetic acid, and furan. Charcoal production thermogravimetric analysis validated that the wood biomass thermal decomposition process has four stages: (1) water evaporation; (2) initial decomposition; (3) active decomposition, and (4) final decomposition. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The Eastern Mediterranean Charcoal Industry: Air Pollution Prevention by the Implementation of a New Ecological Retort System

“…Operation of the ERS system included the following stages: drying and initial decomposition by aerobic combustion, exothermic decomposition, completion of carbonization, and cooling (extended in Subsection 3.2), as characteristic of slow pyrolysis (Ankona et al., 2021; Oliveira et al., 2014). The average charcoal yield was 32.0% ± 1.5% on an oven‐dry basis, which corresponds to the yield obtained in similar systems (Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), 1985).…”

“…This indigenous tribal practice was industrialized during the Ottoman period for fueling the Hijaz railway, which lasted until just after World War One in 1920 (Mitchell, 2009). Since the shift from steam to diesel locomotives during the 20th century, charcoal demand was diverted to cooking and heating purposes, with increasing demand that collided with 21st century environmental standards (Ankona et al., 2021).…”

Potential of Waste to Energy Processing for Sustainable Tourism in Nusa Penida Island, Bali

“…The results of the TGA measurement on organic biodegradable waste can be seen in Figure 5. From the results of the mass reduction graph data, it shows that 81.4% of organic biodegradable waste has the highest mass reduction; the first stage is under temperatures above 450 o C. This mass reduction is caused by the release of water vapor and several organic compounds that can evaporate at that temperature (Ankona et al, 2021). Water vapor can result from free water; moisture evolution happens at approximately 75-120ºC (Lopatina et al, 2020).…”