Valorization of a high-sulfur petroleum coke for energy and fuels through its co-processing with a forest waste, using concrete wastes for sulphur and carbon dioxide capture under mild conditions

Abstract

Current work provided a comprehensive assessment on the pyrolysis, combustion and gasification of a high-sulfur pet coke (PEC) and its blends with a forest waste (FOP). The potential of waste concrete fractions to capture SO₂ and CO₂ emissions was explored. The experiments were conducted in a fixed bed system and a thermogravimetric-mass spectrometric unit. Thermal behavior, reactivity, conversion, synergy, structural and chemical characteristics of solid materials, quantitative analysis of products and heating value, chemical, mineralogical and fusibility analysis of ashes were studied as a function of temperature, blending ratio and sorbent/fuel ratio. Addition of sorbent at a ratio Ca/S = 2 resulted in a desulfurization extent of 76–81 % during combustion. Quarry dust sorbent captured up to 95.4 % of CO₂ emitted below 700 °C. At 1000 °C H₂ content was 64.8–72.9 % mol and syngas yield 1.1–1.8 m³/kg. The gasification performance of PEC was improved upon blending with FOP.