Characterization of Bio-Oil from Fast Pyrolysis of Palm Frond and Empty Fruit Bunch

Abstract

As the world’s biggest producer of palm oil, 109 million tons of palm frond and 46 million tons of empty fruit bunch (EFB) were produced annually in Indonesia. These two kinds of palm biomass were still in low-application and could be potentially used as future energy resources such as biofuel. One of the promising methods to convert palm frond and EFB into biofuel, as a dense and easy to transport material, is fast pyrolysis. Before pyrolysis, biomass feedstock was characterized their component and elemental compositions, moisture content and higher heating value (HHV). Fast pyrolysis processes were conducted at a temperature of 350˚C using thermal oil heater as a heat carrier. The gas phase from pyrolysis was condensed and produced a dark color and water soluble liquid called bio-oil. As GC-MS data shows, the bio-oil from both feed stocks was dominated by acetic acid, furans, phenols, aldehydes, and ketones. The HHV was reported 12.19 and 26.49 MJ/kg, while water content was 41.91 and 11.54 wt% for bio-oil from palm frond and EFB, respectively. The high content of lignin in EFB effects to the low content of water, high content of phenolic compound, and high calorific value in the bio-oil from EFB.