Co-pyrolysis characteristics and kinetics of rice straw and low rank coal

The pyrolysis utilization of coal and biomass is significant for energy strategy and carbon emission reduction. This work specifically concentrated on the co-pyrolysis research of low-rank coal and rice straw. Firstly, fundamental properties of rice straw and Huangling coal were characterized. Subsequently, co-pyrolysis of rice straw and Huangling coal was extensively investigated mainly thorough TG-FTIR. The results indicated that the heating rate has had little effect on the pyrolysis weight loss rate. The mixture of 40 wt% rice straw produced the best effect, with the strongest synergistic effect occurring in the temperature range of 552–610 K. The mixture of 20 wt%, 40 wt%, and 60 wt% rice straw exhibited similar pyrolysis characteristics in experiments. Using model fitting and model free methods for kinetic analysis, the mixture of 20 wt% rice straw showed negative synergistic effects, with the highest activation energy increasing by 20.2 %. This study provides new ideas for the low consumption and efficient utilization of low rank coal and agricultural waste, and gives basic and effective data support for industrialization.