Char production through the co-pyrolysis of coal and biomass in a fixed FED reactor

Abstract: Coal contributes to 40% of the world’s energy production and the process of energy production from coal contributes to 40% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions which have led to global warming and climate change. Thermochemical processes like pyrolysis, gasification and carbonification are used to utilize coal and this coal can be mixed with other sources of energy such as biomass for environmental protection, a higher energy densification and char yield. In this study Morupule coal was co-pyrolyzed with cow dung in a fixed bed reactor with the aim of producing char whilst reducing the net carbon dioxide emissions. Co-pyrolysis of coal with biomass yields char, gas and liquid fuel. Char is used in various sectors such as agriculture to improve soil quality hence increasing crop yields and as an adsorbent for wastewater treatment. The co-pyrolysis process was performed at 500oC and atmospheric pressure under an inert atmosphere which contained argon. Pyrolysis using a fixed bed reactor was performed on coal and cow dung at blend ratios of coal to cow dung of 0:100, 50:50, 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, 90:10, and 100:0. Proximate analysis results indicated that char had a higher fixed carbon compared to those from the individual substrates. Calorific value (CV) tests of the chars indicated that reducing to 90:10 ratio the cow dung concentration resulted in CV increases. This study shows that there is a synergic effect between the sub-bituminous Morupule coal and cow dung