Bench-scale studies on fluid-bed pyrolysis of wood

The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of different contact gases and experimental conditions on product yields from fluid-bed wood pyrolysis. The yield of condensible hydrocarbons was of particular interest. The contact gases employed included carbon dioxide (CO/sub 2/), methane (CH/sub 4/), and hydrogen (H/sub 2/). Reaction temperatures ranged from 650/degree/C to 800/degree/C, and gas contact time was between 1 and 2 s. Tests with CO/sub 2/ contact gas used a secondary vessel of catalyst for cracking of condensibles generated in the primary gasifier. Results of earlier studies at PNL showed the effectiveness of various catalysts for destruction of condensible hydrocarbons. Analyses of results on the effects of contact gas, reaction temperature, gas contact time, and wood feed rate are presented in this report, along with a description of experimental equipment and methods. Data were obtained from single tests at each set of experimental conditions. Conditions were not repeated to determine the amount of experimental error. Material balance closures were generally quite good for the experimental tests, within 10%. 9 refs., 15 figs., 16 tabs.