Multi-criteria decision-making in the selection of a suitable biomass material for maximum bio-oil yield during pyrolysis

Abstract

The selection of the most appropriate biomass material for maximum bio-oil conversion during pyrolysis is one of the critical issues and is a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. There are different MCDM methods based on different conceptual approach, which gives different results and selection of appropriate MCDM method for biomass material selection process becomes an intrinsic task. The study elaborates a framework which uses different MCDM methods for solving the biomass material selection issue. The proposed MCDM technique integrates different MCDM approach and the ranking obtained from different MCDM methods are also compared with each other and Spearman rank correlation coefficient is calculated between the ranks obtained to select the best solution. This study comprises of seven alternatives such as rice straw, sunflower shell, hard wood, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, corn cop and palm shell and seven evaluation criteria namely lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, volatile matter, fixed carbon, moisture content and ash content to select the appropriate biomass. The results exemplified that sugarcane bagasse become the best choice for maximum bio-oil yield.