Effect of mixing ratio and active alkali and alkaline earth metals on gaseous products from co-pyrolysis of coal and corn stalks

Abstract The effect of mixing ratio and active alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEMs) on gaseous products from co-pyrolysis of coal and corn stalks was investigated in this research. The thermogravimetric technique coupled with the Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) was used to investigate the mass loss of samples and the formation of typical products. The results indicated that the active AAEMs in coal and corn stalks are not conducive to the release of volatiles, and the effect of active AAEMs in corn stalks on the co-pyrolysis process is much greater than that in coal. In addition, the interactions between coal and corn stalks during co-pyrolysis are beneficial to the generation of C = O group, and unfavorable to the generation of CH4 and light aromatic hydrocarbons. The active AAEMs in coal inhibit the generation of CO2 and C = O group of coal, but promote the generation of aliphatic hydrocarbons, while the active AAEMs in corn stalks promote the generation of CO2 and C = O group of corn stalks, but inhibit the generation of aliphatic hydrocarbons.