Rice husk thermal utilization process with the use of pyrolysis gas as energy fuel

Abstract

The innovative technology was proposed for conducting the process of the rice husk thermal treatment. The principle of this technology involves using the pyrolysis gas as the energy-generating fuel for the radiation heating of the plant raw material in the pyrolysis reactor. By calculation, it was proved that the warming-up of the rice husk with the heat from the pyrolysis gas burning was really feasible in the reactor with the internal diameter 1.5 m, length of the reactor  3.5 m, internal diameter of a radiant tube 0.5 m, and length of the radiant tube 4.0 m. The resulting excessive heat can used for domestic needs. The capability was determined to manage the operation mode of the pyrolysis installation increasing its efficiency through regulating the number of rotations and angle of the reactor’s incline. The appropriate process scheme for the rice husk treatment with production of silica-carbon was developed. It testifies that the produced silica-carbon represents a homogeneous mixture of carbon and silicon dioxide those were in the amorphous form. The presence of the component ingredients in the form of finely dispersed particles with the size of 10-50 nm provides homogeneousness of the material. According to its structure and features, the silica-carbon acts as a high-grade filling compound of elastomers and carbon constructional materials. The production cost of silica-carbon is 15-20 % less than the similar material obtained according to the pre-developed technology. Use of the radiation heating instead of the electric heating of the pyrolysis reactor allows reducing the operational costs.