Experimental and DFT study on the effect of typical component interaction on nitrogen conversion during pyrolysis of food waste

Pyrolysis technology is an effective way to realize the reduction and recycling of food waste (FW), but the generation of N-containing substances has a great impact on the quality of pyrolysis products and the environment. The present study mainly focused on the effect of typical component interaction on nitrogen conversion during the pyrolysis of FW, which was investigated by TG-FTIR, GC-MS, and DFT calculation. The experimental results show that during pyrolysis at 500 celcius, compared with soybean protein pyrolysis, co-pyrolysis of soybean protein with rice starch reduces the production of NH3 and HCN in the pyrolysis gas and reduces the production of nitriles in the pyrolysis oil, while the production of N-containing heterocycles and amides in the pyrolysis oil increases. Soybean protein and rice starch promote the immobilization of N in pyrolysis oil through Maillard reaction and produce Maillard reaction products (MRPs). MRPs can be converted to nitrogenous heterocycles by ring formation reactions, and to amides by continued cleavage, which results in the increased yields of N-containing heterocycles and amides in the pyrolysis oil.