Effect of glycerol addition on the pyrolysis characteristics and pyrolytic product distribution of cigar tobacco

Cigar tobacco residues are a special air-cured tobacco material with increasing production in domestic. In this present study, the effect of glycerol addition on the pyrolysis characteristic, kinetic behavior, and release of pyrolytic products was investigated by using thermogravimetry coupled with online FTIR and self-built infrared tubular furnace. The thermal weight loss process of cigar tobacco could be divided into four stages, and the glycerol exhibited significant impact on the pyrolysis process. The stage II corresponding the decomposition of volatile components and hemicellulose shifted to the lower temperature accompanied with an increase of DTG max and weight loss at this stage. The T i , T f , and residues were decreased, while the CPI was increased as for the CT-G sample, indicating an increased reactivity and comprehensive pyrolysis performance. Gauss peak fitting was used to separate the pyrolysis process of different pseudocomponents in the tobacco biomass. Pyrolysis kinetic analysis based on Coats-Redfern method showed that the activation energy for the decomposition of each pseudocomponents decreased after the addition of glycerol. The online FTIR and MS analysis also reflected the interaction between glycerol and biomass through the release of pyrolytic gaseous products. GC–MS was further used to analyze the compositions of pyrolytic products in the trapped particulate matter under different heating rates. High heating rate was beneficial for the sufficient release of pyrolysis products and aroma compounds. The glycerol addition inhibited the generation of alkaloids, phenols, esters, ketones, acids, and heterocyclic compounds, indicating some effect may exist between cigar tobacco and glycerol.