Chemical characterization of the bio-oil obtained by catalytic pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse (industrial waste) from the species Erianthus Arundinaceus

Abstract

The specie Erianthus is a variety of sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) that can be used as “energy-cane” due to its high amount of fibers. The bagasse produced in the industrial processing of this biomass has not an appropriate use and tend to be inadequately discarded, causing negative environmental impacts. Sugarcane bagasse can be reused after be submitted to pyrolysis which is one of the best ways of obtaining high value products from lignocellulosic material. Bio-oil is the main liquid product of the pyrolysis and is a liquid complex mixture of organic compounds, highly oxygenated. By using a specific catalyst, it is possible to reduce de oxygenated compounds and generate hydrocarbons, which can be used as bio-fuel. In this work, the bagasse of Erianthus sp, was subjected to a catalytic pyrolysis process varying the amount of catalyst (HZSM-5) for producing bio-oil with reduced quantities of oxygenated compounds, aiming its application as biofuel for energy purposes. The use of 50% of HZSM-5 (in situ) produced a major number of aromatic hydrocarbons, reducing the oxygenated compounds. However, phenols remain as major compounds that indicate the need of an upgrading process to use this bio-oil as alternative fuel.