Researchers from UGent, Klaus Jacobs, Soroush Zareghorbaei, Jeroen Lauwaert and Joris Thybaut, who were actively involved in the research activities of the e-CODUCT project, have published a new scientific paper, “A unified kinetic model with pressure-dependent unimolecular falloff for COS thermal pyrolysis,” in the journal Reaction Chemistry & Engineering.

The study presents a compact, physically interpretable kinetic model for COS pyrolysis that successfully describes experimental data across a broad range of temperatures, pressures and feed compositions. The model identifies pressure-dependent unimolecular decomposition and reversible bimolecular COS decomposition as the key pathways governing COS conversion, while also highlighting the indirect influence of sulphur-mediated reactions under concentrated-feed conditions.

Importantly, the model remains predictive without relying on excessive empirical fitting, making it suitable for reactor-scale and process-level simulations of high-temperature sulphur-containing gas streams. The study also highlights the need for improved experimental data, particularly detailed sulphur-species characterisation and better carbon and sulphur balance closure, to further constrain the less certain reaction pathways and validate the model under industrially relevant conditions.