Optimization of multi-stage pyrolysis

Pyrolysis process is considered as a beneficial option in waste treatment largely due to the products generated and the energy recovery when compared to other methods. In the conventional pyrolysis process, heat is continually supplied to the reactor until the final pyrolysis temperature is attained. The reactor is then maintained isothermally at this temperature until the pyrolysis is completed. This technique does not take into consideration the mechanism of the pyrolysis which involves both exothermic and endothermic reaction and the opportunity of gaining some processing benefits is often ignored. Multi-stage pyrolysis which is an approach to carry out pyrolysis with multiple heating stages in order to gain certain processing benefits has been introduced in our earlier works. 22.5% energy reduction was achieved in our past work with a 100% increase in completion time. This work therefore proposes the optimization of the operating parameters in multi-stage pyrolysis in order to limit the increase in completion time and also reduces the overall energy. This innovative approach can achieve a range of 24.7%–37.9% reduction in energy usage with 37%–50% increase in completion time depending on the heating rate for each heating stages. This approach has also been used for charcoal production.