Production of bio-based phenolic resin and activated carbon from bio-oil and biochar derived from fast pyrolysis of palm kernel shells

Abstract

A fraction of palm kernel shells (PKS) was pyrolyzed in a fluidized bed reactor. The experiments were performed in a temperature range of 479–555°C to produce bio-oil, biochar, and gas. All the bio-oils were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively by GC-FID and GC–MS. The maximum content of phenolic compounds in the bio-oil was 24.8wt.% at ∼500°C. The maximum phenol content in the bio-oil, as determined by the external standard method, was 8.1wt.%. A bio-oil derived from the pyrolysis of PKS was used in the synthesis of phenolic resin, showing that the bio-oil could substitute for fossil phenol up to 25wt.%. The biochar was activated using CO2 at a final activation temperature of 900°C with different activation time (1–3h) to produce activated carbon. Activated carbons produced were microporous, and the maximum surface area of the activated carbons produced was 807m2/g.