Experimental investigation on the production of bio-oil from maize straw at a pilot scale

Abstract

The production of biofuel from agricultural crop residue via fast pyrolysis is becoming a popular option. It can help to build a robust renewable fuel market and ensure environmental sustainability. In this study, the widely available maize straw was used for the production of bio-oil in a fluidized bed reactor at a pilot scale. The effect of pyrolysis parameters such as temperature, biomass particle size, and carrier gas flow rate on the production of bio-oil, char, and syngas was investigated. The maximum bio-oil yield of 44.6 wt.% was achieved at a pyrolysis temperature of 500℃. The physicochemical properties of bio-oil were determined, and the heating value was found to be 18.5 MJ/kg. Furthermore, the chemical composition of maize straw bio-oil was analyzed by GC-MS and FTIR. The compounds such as phenol (22.83%), carboxylic acids (27.36%), ketone (19.14%) alcohols (2.09%), esters, furfural, hydrocarbon and aromatic compounds, etc. were identified in the bio-oil. The cost analysis of the developed system showed that the cost of production of bio-oil from maize straw was 0.47 US$/L and the calculated payback period was 1.47 year.