Design and operation of a fixed-bed pyrolysis-gasification-combustion pilot plant for rural solid waste disposal

•A fixed-bed pyrolysis-gasification-combustion pilot plant is developed.•The device can treat rural solid waste at low cost and with simple operation.•The active air supply has positive impacts on the performance of the device.•The device processed 10 t/d, producing 12.82 g/N·m3 of tar with 1.75 % of ash. This paper is to explore the use of rural solid waste (RSW) for pyrolysis-gasification-combustion in pilot plant scale aiming at sustainable management of rural waste in remote areas. Based on the experimental data obtained during pilot scale operation, the temperature in the furnace needs to be kept at least at 600 °C through analyzing the pyrolysis weight loss of the main combustibles in the RSW. Besides, the effects of the air supply method and ventilation rate on the pilot plant performance were explored. Results indicate that the active air supply method positively contributes to the performance of the pilot plant. The plant processed 10 t RSW/d, producing 12.82 g/Nm3 of tar with 1.75 % of ash. This study confirms the feasibility of the pilot plant for RSW disposal and provides theoretical support for the optimization of pilot plant operation.