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Abstract Steam gasification of char derived from spent mushroom substrate was carried out in thermobalance coupled with mass spectrometer, in the temperature range of 800–900 °C and the steam concentration from 10 to 50 vol%. Syngas production was influenced by temperature and steam concentration. The highest yield of H 2 production (42.9 mol H 2 /kg) was achieved at temperature of 800 °C and steam concentration of 50 vol%. The composition of the generated gas was strongly influenced by the water-gas shift reaction. The grain model was used to describe the kinetics of gasification of the char and the calculated activation energy was equal to 99.0 kJ/mol. The low activation energy of the gasification process was caused by a high content of mineral compounds in the char. The obtained results indicate the potential for gasification of the spent mushroom substrate and found to be an initial and important stage in the development of the gasification process in mushroom production plants. Highlights • Spent mushroom substrate showed high potential for utilization by steam gasification. • The highest yield of H 2 was attained at 800 °C and steam concentration of 50 vol%. • Grain model appeared to be the most suitable to describe the kinetics of gasification. • Low activation energy (99.0 kJ/mol) was caused by high content of minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at determination of the char, tar and gas production yield during pyrolysis of the spent mushroom substrate left after cultivation, as well as its individual components, namely the casing layer and the mushroom substrate. The pyrolysis process was carried out in a thermobalance combined with a mass spectrometer. Based on the analysis of mass losses, it was found that the largest amount of flammable gases and tar were released during pyrolysis of the spent mushroom substrate. The yield of char, tar and gas during pyrolysis at 600 °C were respectively equal to 57.1, 14.4 and 14.5 wt.%. The loss of mass at temperature above 600 °C was associated with thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, and oxidation of the char. The deconvolution of DTG curves and volatile products such as H 2 , CH 4 , CO, CO 2 , H 2 O and tar allowed to determine the decomposition of the compounds contained in the spent mushroom substrate during the pyrolysis process. The kinetic parameters were calculated from the isoconversional model for thermal degradation of biomass. The results could aid in managing organic wastes including the energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of pyrolysis of beet pulp, a by-product after the extraction of raw sugar from sugar beet, with the addition of defecation lime was studied in a thermobalance coupled with a mass spectrometer. The beet pulp pyrolysis process took place completely at 600 °C, and the resulting char, tar and gas were characterized by higher heating values of 23.9, 21.6 and 7.77 MJ/kg, respectively. The addition of the defecation lime to beet pulp caused both an increase in the char production yield and a decrease in the tar production yield. At the same time, the higher heating value of char and tar decreased along with the increase of defecation lime added to the sample. The deconvolution of derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) curves allowed us to identify the basic components of beet pulp, for which the activation energy by isoconversion method was calculated. The 20 wt.% addition of defecation lime caused an increase of the activation energy by about 18%. Further increase in the defecation lime content resulted in a reduction of activation energy. At the temperature above 600 °C, calcination of calcium carbonate contained in defecation lime occurred. The CO2 produced during calcination process did not cause auto-gasification of char. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]