Pyrolysis of pine and gasification of pine chars – Influence of organically bound metals

► Selective leaching of ash-forming elements from biomass. ► Adsorption of alkali and alkaline earth metals to the leached biomass sample. ► Pyrolysis of the leached and metal modified sample. ► Gasification of the pyrolysis chars. ► Strong influence on the pyrolysis and gasification by the metals. Pyrolysis of pine and gasification of pine chars was studied in this work, focusing on the influence of organically bound metals. Selective leaching of the major ash-forming elements in pine wood was performed with different acids, namely, nitric, sulfuric, hydrochloric and oxalic acids. No other major changes in the chemical composition of the biomass were observed except the removal of the metals. The effect of organically bound sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium was studied in both pyrolysis and gasification. Removal of the metals had a positive effect on the pyrolysis, resulting in higher bio-oil, lower char and gas yields.