Pyrolysis of tobacco wastes for bio-oil with aroma compounds

Abstract

The pyrolysis of tobacco waste, including tobacco leaf (TL) and tobacco stems (TS), using a fluid bed reactor was investigated for the preparation of bio-oil containing aroma compounds or for use as a liquid fuel. The maximum bio-oil yield from TS was 67.47%, and was higher than that from TL. The bio-oil compositions were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and can be classified into 10 groups, of which heterocyclic compounds and acids are the most abundant substances from both TL and TS. The oil from TL contains more aroma components with a sweet or tobacco flavor responsible for the cigarette sensory taste. Both oils from the pyrolysis of the two tobacco samples have fewer harmful components than tobacco smoke. The effects of the pyrolysis temperature on the bio-oil composition were also investigated. Most aroma components were obtained at a temperature below 350 ℃, which would broke into small molecular compounds as the temperature increased because of secondary decomposition.