Energy conversion efficiency of pyrolysis of chicken litter and rice husk biomass

Pyrolysis is a well-established method of converting biomass to different types of value-added products, such as high energy density biofuels and chemicals. In this work, chicken-litter waste and rice husk were pyrolyzed at different temperatures with the aim of investigating the thermal behavior and energy recovery potential of the feedstocks. Computer-aided thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis were employed to study the pyrolysis properties of each biomass in a temperature-controlled regime. The specific heats of chicken litter and rice husk samples during their pyrolysis and the energy content of their pyrolysis products were investigated to determine the energy required to complete the pyrolysis of each sample and the energy recovery potential of each pyrolytic product. Most of the volatile products were evolved at 350 to 450 °C with CO2, CO, and CH4 being the dominant gas products from both samples throughout the pyrolysis process. At 500 °C and at a heating rate of 10 °C/min, the gas, bio...