Study on the Pyrolysis Characteristics of Tobacco Stems Under Different Steam Explosion Pressures

Thermal weight loss behavior of tobacco stems is the key to studying the chemical properties of tobacco stalks. In this research, four steam explosion pressure gradients with three heating rates were investigated for the pyrolysis characteristics of tobacco stems. Three methods were employed to analyze pyrolysis reaction kinetics. The results showed that pyrolysis of tobacco stems consists of three phases: dehydration, degradation, and carbonization. The influence of steam explosion pressure on the thermal stability of tobacco stems was as follows: 0.5 MPa > 0.2 MPa > 0.8 MPa > block sample > 1.1 MPa. The pyrolysis of tobacco stems followed the first-order reaction kinetics equation, and the pyrolysis experiments fit the Kissinger equation, Tang equation, and Hu-Gao-Zhang equation well. The experimental results provide a reference for research on the subject of pyrolysis of tobacco stems.