A FUNDAMENTAL-STUDY ON CONVENTIONAL PYROLYSIS OF A REFUSE-DERIVED FUEL

The pyrolysis behavior of a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) under heating conditions typical of conventional pyrolysis processes was investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were performed on RDF and on some materials which have been considered ''key components'' of the thermal degradation of RDF. The product fractions obtained by RDF pyrolysis runs in a laboratory-scale fixed bed reactor, at temperatures between 500 and 900 degrees C, were identified and characterized by different experimental techniques, including gas chromatographic analysis of gaseous products, ultimate analysis, scanning electron microscopy and internal surface area measurements of char. Gas, tar, and char global yields were determined as a function of reactor temperature. The influence of gas-phase secondary tar-cracking reactions on final gas composition was investigated. Overall kinetic parameters obtained by a simple kinetic model are compared to literature data