Abstract :
Product distribution from straw and washed straw pyrolysis shows the usual temperature (660–990 K) dependence, but the pretreatment makes the initial degradation temperature slightly higher and gives rise to larger yields of condensable products (mainly at the expenses of char). Water washing also affects decomposition of straw in air. Devolatilization again takes place at higher temperatures and with a higher peak rate, but char combustion reactivities are always lower. Hot water washing of large (0.5–1 mm) straw char particles is less effective for ash removal than straw washing, independently of the temperature and the atmosphere where chars were formed. In particular, for low temperature (520 K) and air, the ash removed decreases as successively higher conversion levels are examined.
