Co-pyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass and Synthetic Polymer

Abstract

This project was carried out to determine a simple method to produce high-grade pyrolysis oil by maximizing the use of biomass wastes. In this study, the results of pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse alone are compared with pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse and LDPE mixtures. Pyrolysis was carried out in a semi-batch reactor with different temperature range of 350 to 550 oC, different Biomass : Plastic ratio of 9:1, 3:1, 1:1 and 1:3, with heating rate of 20oC/min. The maximum pyrolysis liquid yield of sugarcane bagasse alone was 47.15% at 500 oC. Whereas, when the co-pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse and LDPE was done yield of liquid product increased to 52.75% with 1:1 blend. The pyrolysis temperature was 500 oC and it was selected based on results from thermo gravimetric analysis of the studied samples. Due to the synergistic effect in the pyrolysis of the biomass/polymer mixtures, higher amounts of liquid products were obtained compared to biomass alone. The physical properties of the liquid obtained were determined by using standard test methods and the chemical composition was analyzed by using FTIR, GC-MS analyzer for its suitability as an alternate fuel.