Potential for Use of Mineral Residues from Potassium Salts Production as Catalysts of Pyrolytic Resin Decomposition

The paper discusses the results of an experimental investigation into thermal decomposition of pyrolytic wood resin in a homogeneous process and also in the presence of a mineral residue from potassium salts (MRPS) production. The experiments have been performed on a laboratory setup under isothermal conditions at temperatures of 300, 350, and 400°C using two techniques ensuring two-phase and three-phase contacts with the catalyst respectively. It has been established that under the studied conditions, the pyrolytic wood resin decomposition rate obeys the laws described by the Avrami–Erofeev equation with the varying exponent n. The average value of the exponent n calculated for all variants of the investigation was 0.694. It has been found that the pyrolytic wood resin decomposition rate rises in the case of introduction of MRPS particles into the reaction zone. The Arrhenius parameters of a homogeneous process of resin thermal decomposition and a decomposition process in MRPS presence have been identified. According to the obtained data, the energy of a homogeneous process′s activation was 29.6 kJ/mol, and the preexponential factor was 3.15·10¹ min^–1 respectively. According to the data from the conducted investigations, the Arrhenius parameters of MRPS pyrolytic resin decomposition were 23.0 kJ/mol and 1.81·10¹ min^–1.