Pyrolysis and low temperature catalytic gasification of manure

Pyrolysis properties of three manure samples were investigated using TGA and XRD. H₂ was produced from them by low temperature catalytic gasification process using a two-stage fixed-bed reactor. The drastic increases in the pyrolysis conversion of the manure samples was observed in 473K~823K. During the main pyrolysis stage, pig manure samples experienced two distinct weight-loss stages and only one peak was observed in the DTG curve of hen manure sample. The difference between their pyrolysis behaviors may be due to the difference in the organic materials. XRD results show that hen manure includes lots of Ca species in the form of CaCO₃ which is converted into CaO during pyrolysis. Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst promotes the tar cracking into little molecules and the volatile matters are converted into H₂, CO, CH₄, CO₂ and carbon completely. High yields of H₂ and CO are obtained in low temperature catalytic gasification. These results provide a theoretical foundation on the development of low temperature gasification process for manure management.