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Characterization of bio-oil and biochar from slow pyrolysis of oil palm plantation and palm oil mill wastes

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Abstract

Wastes from oil palm plantations and mill processing are renewable resources for bio-energy and biochemicals development. The five most abundant oil palm wastes are empty fruit bunch (EFB), palm kernel shell (PKS), palm mesocarp fiber (PMF), palm frond (PF), and palm trunk (PT). These different types of biomass have different properties which can significantly influence the bio-oil products and pyrolysis performance. Bio-oil and biochar were produced by slow pyrolysis of these wastes in a fixed-bed reactor at 600 °C for 60 min. The biomass and pyrolysis products were comparatively characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The highest yield (25.5 wt%) of bio-oil was obtained from PF, while the highest yield (29.7 wt%) of biochar was obtained from PMF. Fatty acids were the main compounds in bio-oil obtained from EFB and PMF, while those from PKS, PF, and PT contained more aromatics and their boiling point distributions were lower than EFB and PMF bio-oils. Biochar from all the materials decomposed in two stages and showed similar compositions. The variations in the yields and properties of products resulted from differences in the properties of feedstocks. The results could contribute useful data for selection and controlling the pyrolysis of oil palm wastes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Mr.Thomas Coyne for assistance with the English text.

Funding

This research was supported by National Science, Research and Innovation Fund (NSRF) and Prince of Songkla University (Grant Nos. SCI6505114M and SCI6505114e) and the Faculty of Science Research Fund, Prince of Songkla University, Contract no.1–2559-02–001. Facility support from the Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation is also received. The authors are supported by Thailand Research Fund under Grant No. RTA6280014. The authors would like to thank Mr.Thomas Coyne for assistance with the English text.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Energy and Materials for Sustainability (EMS) Research Group, Division of Physical Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, 90110, Songkhla, Thailand

    Yanisa Chantanumat, Worasak Phetwarotai, Silawan Sangthong & Neeranuch Phusunti

  2. Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, 90110, Songkhla, Thailand

    Silawan Sangthong & Neeranuch Phusunti

  3. Energy Technology Program, Department of Specialized Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, 90110, Songkhla, Thailand

    Arkom Palamanit

  4. Faculty of Integrated Technologies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam

    Muhammad Saifullah Abu Bakar

  5. Center of Excellence in Innovative Biotechnology for Sustainable Utilization of Bioresources, Faculty of Agro-Industry, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, 90110, Songkhla, Thailand

    Benjamas Cheirsilp

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  1. Yanisa Chantanumat
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  2. Worasak Phetwarotai
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  7. Neeranuch Phusunti
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Neeranuch Phusunti, Worasak Phetwarotai; Methodology: Yanisa Chantanumat, Neeranuch Phusunti, Silawan Sangthong; Formal analysis and investigation: Neeranuch Phusunti, Yanisa Chantanumat, Worasak Phetwarotai, Silawan Sangthong, Muhammad Saifullah Abu Bakar, Arkom Palamanit; Writing—original draft preparation: Neeranuch Phusunti, Worasak Phetwarotai; Writing — review and editing: Neeranuch Phusunti, Worasak Phetwarotai; Funding acquisition: Neeranuch Phusunti, Benjamas Cheirsilp; Resources: Arkom Palamanit; Supervision: Benjamas Cheirsilp.

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Chantanumat, Y., Phetwarotai, W., Sangthong, S. et al. Characterization of bio-oil and biochar from slow pyrolysis of oil palm plantation and palm oil mill wastes. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 13, 13813–13825 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-021-02291-2

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