Abstract
Acacia mangium is a widely grown tree species across the forests in Brunei Darussalam, posing a threat to the existence of some native species in Brunei Darussalam. These species produce large quantities of lignocellulosic biomass from the tree parts comprising the phyllodes, trunk, bark, twigs, pods, and branches. This study examined the thermochemical characteristics and pyrolytic conversion behavior of these tree parts to assess the possibility of valorization to yield bioenergy. Proximate, ultimate, heating value, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses were performed to assess the thermochemical characterization, while thermogravimetric analysis was conducted to examine the pyrolytic degradation behavior. Proximate analysis revealed a moisture content, volatile, fixed carbon, and ash contents of 7.88–11.65 wt.%, 69.82–74.85 wt.%, 14.47–18.31 wt.%, and 1.41–2.69 wt.%, respectively. The heating values of the samples were reported in a range of 19.51–21.58 MJ/kg on a dry moisture basis, with a carbon content in the range of 45.50–50.65 wt.%. The FTIR analysis confirmed the heterogeneous nature of the biomass samples with the presence of multiple functional groups. The pyrolytic thermal degradation of the samples occurred in three major stages from the removal of moisture and light extractives, hemicellulose and cellulose decomposition, and lignin decomposition. The bio-oil yield potential from the biomass samples was reported in the range of 40 to 58 wt.%, highlighting the potential of Acacia mangium biomass for the pyrolysis process.
Highlights
The moisture content in biomass plays a vital role in selecting an appropriate conversion process and has a significant effect on the properties of biofuels produced from pyrolysis especially bio-oil in terms of its heating value, viscosity, stability, homogeneity, and density [30]
The moisture in the Acacia mangium (AM) biomass was reported to be in the range of 7.88 to 11.65 wt.%, with the lowest value reported in the pods and the highest value reported in the trunk which showed a good perspective for the use of this biomass as the feedstock of the pyrolysis process to produce bio-oil more efficiently [34,35]
The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed the heterogeneous nature of the biomass samples with the presence of multiple functional groups
Summary
The search for substitute energy resources is growing as fossil fuel resources are rapidly diminishing, and the awareness of environmental pollution is increasing [1,2,3]. The vast majority of the energy requirements are being met through fossil fuels. The interest in finding alternative energy resources is increasing as emphasis has been placed on energy recovery from solar, tidal, wind, and biomass resources [4,5,6,7]. These resources are renewable and sustainable, but the energy density and economic recovery of Sustainability 2021, 13, 5249.
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