Distinguishing primary and secondary reactions of cellulose pyrolysis.

The objective of this study was to elucidate primary and secondary reactions of cellulose pyrolysis, which was accomplished by comparing results from a micro-pyrolyzer coupled to a GC-MS/FID system and a 100 g/hr bench scale fluidized bed reactor system. The residence time of vapors in the micro-pyrolyzer was only 15-20 ms, which precluded significant secondary reactions. The fluidized bed reactor had a vapor residence time of 1-2 s, which is similar to full-scale pyrolysis systems and is long enough for secondary reactions to occur.