Bio-oil and Fuel Gas Production from Agricultural Waste via Pyrolysis: A Comparative Study of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) and Rice Husk

Abstract

Biomass-based energy from agricultural wastes is a promising alternative energy source since its abundant supply and renewable. Biomass is converted into gas and liquid fuel through biochemical or thermochemical treatments. In this work, oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) and rice husk are pyrolyzed to produce gas and liquid fuel. The reactor temperature and feed mass are varied to obtain the best operating condition in a semi-batch pyrolysis reactor. The experimental results showed that the best operating temperature in pyrolysis process to produce bio-oils from OPEFB and rice husk was at 500 °C with 4.3 % (w/w) and 2.6 % (w/w) of bio-oil yields, respectively. The pyrolysis product distribution and their chemical composition are strongly affected by operating condition and the types of biomass. The GC-MS analysis results showed that the primary pyrolysis products components consist of hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds such as carboxylic acids, phenols, ketones and aldehydes. Thermodynamic properties such as thermal conductivity of the biomass also influenced the product distribution of the biomass pyrolysis.