Product yields and kinetics from the vapor phase cracking of wood pyrolysis tars

Abstract The homogeneous vapor phase cracking of newly formed wood pyrolysis tar was studied at low molar concentrations as a function of temperature (773–1,073 K), at residence times of 0.9–2.2 s. Tar conversions ranged from about 5 to 88%. The tars were generated by low heating rate (0.2 K/s) pyrolysis of ∼2 cm deep beds of sweet gum hardwood, and then rapidly conveyed to an adjacent reactor for controlled thermal treatment. Quantitative yields and kinetics were obtained for tar cracking and resulting products formation. The major tar conversion product was carbon monoxide, which accounted for over two‐thirds of the tar lost at high severities. Corresponding ethylene and methane yields were each about 10% of the converted tar. Coke formation was negligible and weight‐average tar molecular weight declined with increasing tar conversion. A first‐order distributed activation energy model more closely correlated tar conversion kinetics over a wider range of reaction conditions than did a single‐reaction model.