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Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and pinewood sawdust: the synergistic effect and bio-oil characteristics

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Abstract

Co-pyrolysis with biomass is a promising solution to obtain high-quality products for sewage sludge (SS) treatment. In the present study, a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and fixed bed reactor were used to investigate the synergistic effect and bio-oil characteristics during co-pyrolysis of SS and pinewood sawdust (WS). The results show a significant interaction between SS and WS, and the most apparent synergistic effect appears at the WS proportion of 50 wt. %. Co-pyrolysis of SS with WS promotes the generation of bio-oil while reducing gas formation, but less effect can be observed on the char yield. In the case of 50 wt. % WS addition, the maximum bio-oil yield (40.54%) was obtained at 550 °C, which was increased by 13.65% relative to the calculated value. Moreover, at 550 °C, the production of acids, sugars, and nitrogen-containing compounds during co-pyrolysis decreased by 47.68%, 54.34%, and 71.89%, respectively. In the meanwhile, the phenolic compounds are 29.92% higher than the theoretical value. Besides, high temperatures can decrease acids, alcohols, ketones, esters, and sugars and increase hydrocarbon production during co-pyrolysis. The above results indicated that the addition of WS can effectively improve the quality of bio-oil from SS pyrolysis.

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Funding

This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51908096) and project of science and technology research program of Chongqing Education Commission of China (No. KJQN201801524).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China

    Jisong Bai, Xin Fu, Quanwei Lv, Fangjun Chen, Yu Yang, Wei Gan, Fucan Deng & Chenxuan Zhu

  2. College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China

    Quanwei Lv

  3. Chongqing Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Chongqing, 401147, China

    Jun Wang

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  1. Jisong Bai
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  2. Xin Fu
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Bai, J., Fu, X., Lv, Q. et al. Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and pinewood sawdust: the synergistic effect and bio-oil characteristics. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 13, 9205–9212 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-021-01809-y

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