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Production of Biochar, Bio-Oil and Synthesis Gas from Cashew Nut Shell by Slow Pyrolysis

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Abstract

Cashew nut shell waste from northeast region of Brazil was characterized and slow pyrolyzed in a simple batch type reactor heated externally by liquefied petroleum gas as fuel. The experiments were performed using nitrogen or air as carrier gases. The properties of biochar, bio-oil and gases products were investigated and potential applications were proposed. Cashew nut shell showed a high heating value of 20.7 MJ kg−1 that is among the highest found for different types of biomass. Pyrolysis under nitrogen flow showed a yield of solid, liquid and gas products of about 30, 40 and 30 wt%, respectively. Under air flow an increase of gas phase (46 wt%) was observed with a decrease in the production of biochar and, mainly bio-oil. The biochars have high contents of carbon (70–75 wt%) and high heating values in the range of 25–28 MJ kg−1 presenting suitable properties for use as energy source. Biochars also contain significant quantities of K and minor amounts of Mg, Ca, Cu, Zn and Fe showing potential as fertilizer. The bio-oils showed high heating values of about 32 MJ kg−1 and are not suitable for use in pure form, but can be used in mixtures with Diesel (42.5 MJ kg−1). The gas phase revealed the predominance of CO2 and CO at temperatures lower than 400 °C and, above this temperature, there was a preferential formation of H2 resulting in synthesis gas with different compositions that could be burned to supply heat for the pyrolysis process and/or to produce organic chemicals.

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Acknowledgments

This work was dedicated to Dr. Fatima Maria S. de Carvalho (in memorium). The authors would like to thank Dr. Ivan Santos for CNS samples, MSc. Francisco Nabuo Tabuti for TGA experiments, Dr. João Coutinho Ferreira for SEM-EDX experiments, Dr. Rodrigo F. B. de Souza for FTIR experiments, Adenilson Almeida Silva for help in laboratory work, Prof. Dr. Alexandre A. Steiner for English corrections and hepful comments, and CNPq for financial support (Processo No. 310051/2012-6).

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  1. Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares – IPEN-CNEN/SP, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2242 – Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil

    Renata Moreira, Rosely dos Reis Orsini, Jorge Moreira Vaz, José Carlos Penteado & Estevam V. Spinacé

  2. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas do Estado de São Paulo – IPT, Av. Prof. Almeida Prado, 532 – Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, 05508-901, Brazil

    Renata Moreira

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  1. Renata Moreira
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  2. Rosely dos Reis Orsini
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Correspondence to Estevam V. Spinacé.

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Moreira, R., dos Reis Orsini, R., Vaz, J.M. et al. Production of Biochar, Bio-Oil and Synthesis Gas from Cashew Nut Shell by Slow Pyrolysis. Waste Biomass Valor 8, 217–224 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-016-9569-2

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