Bio-oil production by flash pyrolysis of sugarcane residues and post treatments of the aqueous phase

Abstract The pyrolysis of three sugarcane residues (internal bagasse, external and whole plant) has been carried out in a pilot bubbling fluidized bed pyrolyzer operating under a range of temperature from 300 °C to 600 °C and two vapor residence time (2 and 5 s), with the aim of determining their pyrolysis behavior including products yields and heat balance. The composition of the product gases was determined, from which their heating value was calculated. The liquid bio-oil was recovered with cyclonic condensers and separated into two phases, an aqueous phase and an organic phase. The energy content of the organic phase was determined in comparison with common fossil fuels. Activated carbon adsorption and distillation at 110 °C were used to treat the aqueous phase, with the aim of recovering valuable hydrocarbons and purifying the aqueous phase for wastewater disposal. Furthermore, the thermal sustainability of the pyrolysis process was estimated by considering the energy contribution of the product gases and of the liquid bio-oil in relation to the pyrolysis heat requirements. The optimum pyrolysis temperatures were identified in terms of maximizing the liquid yield, maximizing the energy from the product bio-oil, and maximizing the net energy from the product bio-oil after ensuring a self-sustainable process by utilizing the product gases and part of bio-oil as heat sources.