Production of bio-oil from mahua de-oiled cake by thermal pyrolysis

Abstract

De-oiled cakes, a source of biomass in the form of agriculture residue, could be an ideal source for the production of bio-fuels that can be substituted with conventional fossil fuels. In this study, pyrolysis of mahua de-oiled cake (Madhuca indica) was carried in a semi-batch reactor at the temperatures of 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 °C. The optimum temperature at which maximum yield of 41.36% (by weight) liquid product obtained was 550 °C. Empirical formula of the bio-oil was established as CH 1.379N 0.0576S 0.004O 0.614. The thermal degradation of mahua de-oiled cake was studied in inert atmosphere from ambient temperature to a temperature of 600 °C at a heating rate of 25 °C min -1. The chemical composition of bio-char was investigated by using SEM-EDX and its heating value was determined to be 26 MJ/kg. Characterization showed that the bio-oil obtained can potentially be valued as fuel and chemical feedstock. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.