Bio-oil/gas Production from Pyrolysis of Sorghum Straw Using Oil Shale Ash as Solid Heat Carrier

Abstract

To develop a practical technology for production of bio-oil/gas from crop straws, pyrolysis of sorghum straw using oil shale ash as solid heat carrier was performed. The experimental results showed that solid heat carrier pyrolysis resulted in higher gas yields with more oxygen-free gases compared to conventional pyrolysis at equivalent temperatures. Though the bio-oil yield was basically equal, the bio-oil from solid heat carrier pyrolysis was lighter than from conventional pyrolysis. By solid heat carrier pyrolysis, the highest gas and bio-oil yields of 16.7 and 18.4 wt. % were obtained from sorghum straw, respectively. These above results showed a promising prospect for producing high-quality bio-oil/gas by employing solid heat carrier pyrolysis of crop straws.