Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, vol.13, no.12, pp.11187-11201, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
This paper elucidates catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolysis characteristics of sludge obtained from the biological treatment of textile and leather industrial wastewater. Iso-conversional model-free methods, such as Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) and Friedman, were employed to evaluate the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. The Ea (activation energy) values of non-catalytic and catalytic pyrolysis with y-zeolite and activated alumina (Al2O3) were determined via KAS method to be in the range of 84.66–291.18, 73.12–197.17 and 84.66–217.44 kJ/mol, respectively, whereas similar trends were observed when the other two methods were used. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) analyses showed that the oil obtained from the non-catalytic procedure was rich in fatty acids, steroidal compounds and N-compounds. Activated alumina was effective in removing nitrogen-containing compounds from the oil while y-zeolite promoted deoxygenation and deacidification reactions and, as a result, the oil became rich in alkanes and alkenes which improved its quality as a fuel. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]