Recovery of waste biomass: pyrolysis and characterization of sugarcane residues and their bio-oils

Abstract

The production and disposal of agro-industrial waste can be detrimental to the sustainable development of natural and energy resources, when this waste is not properly handled. The use of these residues is a desire not yet reached by Brazil, so it is necessary to search for alternatives to minimize this problem. Among the thermochemical processes for converting biomass, pyrolysis (thermal degradation of any solid organic material in the partial or total absence of an oxidizing agent) is a promising tool for obtaining bio-oil, which can be used as a fuel or chemical supply. In addition to bio-oil, the pyrolysis process generates biochar and pyrolysis gases. In this work, the results confirmed the potential of sugarcane in the thermochemical process, on the other hand, thermogravimetric analyzes demonstrated that there is a relationship between the main components of biomass (lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose) and the components present in bio- oil. The bio-oils obtained have a chemical composition rich in oxygenated compounds, especially phenols, which are important industrial inputs, in addition to ketones and aldehydes.

Keywords:

• Sugarcane residues
• pyrolysis
• GC/MS
• phenols
• bio-oils
• hydrocarbons

Acknowledgments

Authors thank to the financial support of CNPq, FINEP, FAPITEC and CAPES.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.