Elucidating the pyrolysis properties of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) biomass and characterisation of its pyrolysis products

ABSTRACT

Water hyacinth is classified as a high-risk invasive species but is a source of biomass to obtain bio-oil and biochar by pyrolysis reaction. The Kissinger- Akahira-Sunose model (KAS), Ozawa-Flynn Wall (OFW), and Friedman model, determined the pyrolysis activation energy to be 213.19 kJ mol⁻¹, 222.55 kJ mol⁻¹, and 248.09 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Bio-oil was obtained with a 2.2% yield, and a maximum calorific value of 21,641 kJ kg⁻¹. The composition was 44% hydrocarbons, 27% aromatic hydrocarbons, 6% alcohols and phenols, 4% acids, and 19% aldehydes, ketones, ethers, nitriles, and others. A 48.84 wt% biochar was also obtained, gaining energy and active carbon. Bio-oil could be a candidate for the production of refined chemical products.

KEYWORDS:

• Water hyacinth
• bio-oil
• biochar
• pyrolysis
• biomass

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Universidad Santo Tomás for funding the research, through the call for project funding in 2021, and the Technological University of Pereira for supporting the IR and GC-MS tests.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)).

Declaration of Conflict of Interest

The authors do not express a conflict of interest in this research and publication.