Fast Pyrolysis of Palm Kernel Shell in a Drop Type Pyrolyzer

Fast pyrolysis of palm kernel shell was conducted in a
drop type pyrolyzer. The influence of the reaction
temperature (400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 ⁰C) and the biomass average particle size (0.325, 0.750, and 1.500 mm) on the product distribution and quality was examined. The highest bio-oil yield of 51 wt. % was observed at 500 ⁰C and average biomass particle size of 0.325 mm. In general, smaller palm kernel shells size was more effective for the production of the bio-oil. Gas yield showed increasing trend with increasing the
pyrolysis temperature due to the contribution of both gasification and secondary cracking reaction activated at higher pyrolysis temperature. Finally all bio-oil and char samples were analyzed for CHNO, and ash content to compare their quality at different experimental conditions. A C-H-O ternary diagram was plotted to demonstrate that.