Characteristics and kinetics of cattle litter pyrolysis in a tubing reactor

The kinetic parameters for the pyrolysis of cattle litter were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The cattle litter was pyrolyzed in a tubing reactor at 340, 360 and 380 °C with various retention times from 4 to 20 min. The influence of the pyrolysis conditions on the product yields was also examined. The maximum yields of gas and liquid products, 16.1 and 17.2 wt%, respectively, were obtained after pyrolysis at 380 °C for 20 min. The gas products were mainly C1–C4 hydrocarbons. The experimental results of the product distribution were well fitted with the lumped kinetic model. The reaction pathway was investigated based on the calculated kinetic constants.