Determination of the Aging Profile of Pyrolysis Oil Derived from Apricot Seed Cake through Solvent Extraction and GC–MS Analysis

A detailed understanding of the composition of lignocellulosic biomass-derived pyrolysis oils is essential in determining their storage stability before adopting a suitable upgrading strategy for their rational end use. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of storage time and temperature on the chemical composition of pyrolysis oil derived from apricot or Prunus armeniaca seed residue (PASR). The pyrolysis oil was subjected to aging for 56 days at two storage temperatures (4 and 25 °C), and the samples were prepared and analyzed on 0, 7, 14, 28, and 56 days. The PASR pyrolysis was carried out in a fixed bed pyrolysis reactor heated from ambient to 600 °C at a constant ramp rate of 5 °C min–1 under an inert atmosphere. The aqueous and organic phases of pyrolysis oil were extracted with ethyl acetate and hexane, respectively, and characterized using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The GC–MS analysis showed a gradual change in pyrolysis oil composition with a pronounce...