Pyrolysis kinetics and decomposition characteristics of pine trees

Pine trees comprise over 35% of the forests in Korea, since 1989, pine wilt disease introduced via the Japanese pine sawyer has been infecting many of these trees. As a renewable resource, pine can be converted to bio-oil, gas, and char through pyrolysis. In this study, the pyrolysis characteristics of pine trees were investigated using thermogravimetric analyzer, with most of the materials decomposing between 330 and 370 degrees C at heating rates of 5-20 degrees C/min. The apparent activation energy increased from 145 to 302 kJ mol(-1) with increasing pyrolysis conversion. The kinetics of pine tree pyrolysis were experimentally and mathematically evaluated. The kinetic parameters were determined using nonlinear least-squares regression of the experimental data assuming first-order kinetics. It was found from the kinetic rate constants that the predominant reaction pathway was A (pine) to gas (C(1)-C(4)) rather than A to bio-oil at temperatures of 330-370 degrees C.