Enhanced pyrolysis of palm kernel shell wastes to bio-based chemicals and syngas using red mud as an additive

Abstract

In the present study, the red mud (RM, a waste from aluminium industry) was employed to catalyze the pyrolysis of palm kernel shell (PKS, a waste from palm oil generation industry) to produce bio-chemicals and syngas using a bench scale fixed bed reactor. The composition of the achieving bio-oil was determined by a GC/MS analyzer. The results show that RM could promote the conversion of PKS biochar and bio-oil to non-condensable gases during the pyrolysis process of PKS. The addition of RM enhanced the decomposition of oxygen-containing functional groups and double bonds in side chains on benzene rings, resulting in the formation of phenol and aromatics accounting for 85.61 area% in bio-oil. Moreover, the total energy-based yield of gaseous and liquid products reached up to 87% at 800 °C with a PKS/RM mass ratio of 1:1.8. The steam gasification reactivity of PKS biochar was also significantly improved with the addition of RM. The findings imply that RM is a promising additive that allows the utilization of PKS waste riched in lignin component to generate valuable products via pyrolysis.