Decomposition of toluene with microwave heating and electrical heating

 The decomposition of toluene over a biomass char packed bed was studied with microwave heating(MH) and electrical heating(EH). The effects of temperature, atmosphere and retention time on the decomposition behavior and the product properrties of gas and solid were investigated. The results show that the toluene decomposition rate increases with the increase of temperature in the range of 600℃～800℃. At 700℃, the conversion of toluene is 92.7%, 97.8% and 93.9% in N₂, steam and CO₂ atmospheres, respectively with MH, while the conversion of toluene with EH is 59.2%, 59.7% and 59.4%, respectively. The retention time has a slight effect on the toluene conversion. The selectivity of the product H₂ strongly depends on the heating method. The selectivity of H₂ under MH is about 15% higher than that under EH. Nanofibers are formed on the surface of the char under MH, while only amorphous carbon is found on the char under EH. XRD analysis of biomass char implies that the hot spots effect may take place under MH.