Experimental study of the influence of acid wash on cellulose pyrolysis

Abstract

The analysis of microstructure and polymerization degree showed that acid wash altered the cellulose morphology and decreased the polymerization degree significantly. A series of experiments were done to study the effect of acid wash on cellulose rapid pyrolysis. Experimental results showed that under acid pretreatment, the yield of bio-oil decreased while the production of gas and char increased. With an increase in acid concentration, this trend would be further enhanced. Sulphuric acid limited the formation of bio-oil more effectively than hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid. According to the GC-MS analysis of bio-oil, high-concentration acid wash restrained the formation of levoglucosan by catalyzing dehydration process and cross linking reaction.