Non-Catalytic Co-pyrolysis of Empty Fruit Bunch of Palm and Solid Tire Waste Into Upgrade Bio-oil

Abstract

Depletion of petroleum and environmental problem have led to look for alternative fuel sources. In many ways, biomass is a potential renewable source. Among the many forms of biomass, empty fruit bunch (EFB) of palm oil is very attractive feedstock due to its abundance, low price and non-competitiveness with the food chain. EFB can be converted into bio-oil by pyrolysis process, but this product can not be used directly as a transportation fuel, as it needs to undergo a process of an upgrade to bio-oil. Co-pyrolysis is a biomass pyrolysis process with solid material that has a high hydrogen index at atmospheric pressure. One of the materials that have a higher hydrogen index than biomass is polymer, such as solid tire waste. The objectives of this research are to study the treatment effects on EFB, the influence ratio of solid tire waste with EFB, and temperature of the yield and composition of the product. EFB that had been treated was mixed with the waste tire, wihh a weight ratio of (100: 0, 75:25, 50: 50.25: 75 and 0: 100) between EFB and waste tire. The mixed raw material was put into the co-pyrolysis reactor and heated at 400 – 600 o C with nitrogen gas flowing for 45 minutes. The results showed that the treatment of EFB as the raw material of pyrolysis could increase the yield of bio-oil and improve the quality of bio-oil. With the addition of 75% waste tire in the co-pyrolysis raw material, the composition of hydrocarbons in bio-oil became 59.55% with a bio-oil heating value of 33.1 MJ/kg.