Almond shells: Catalytic fixed-bed pyrolysis and volatilization kinetics

Frederico G. Fonseca and Ana P. Soares Dias

Renewable Energy, 2021, vol. 180, issue C, 1380-1390

Abstract: The recovery of energy from lignocellulosic food residues provides a double beneficial effect on the mitigation of environmental issues: waste management and carbon-neutral fuels. In this work, almond shells were characterized by thermogravimetry to evaluate their potential for conversion into pyrolytic bio-oil. The average composition assessed by deconvolution of rate of thermal degradation curves (hemicellulose 40.9 wt%, cellulose 28.2 wt%, lignin 30.9 wt%) agrees with published data obtained using laborious conventional techniques. The same set of differential thermogravimetry data was used to estimate pyrolysis kinetics parameters using linear regression and curve-fitting methods, revealing parameters in the range of previously published data. The fixed-bed reactor pyrolysis of grounded almonds shells produced bio-oil in yields lower than 52 wt% for temperatures in the range 375–500 °C. The use of catalysts in pyrolysis tests, fluid catalytic cracking catalyst, Li and Na carbonates, and cenospheres had a beneficial effect on the bio-oil yield. Catalysts had also a positive effect on the bio-oil quality decreasing the acidic species. Cenospheres were the most performant material, being able to decrease the relative fraction of organic acid functional groups from 48 wt% to 21 wt% at 500 °C. Cenospheres are waste streams from coal power plants; this favorable behavior brings them to light as promising low-cost catalysts for biomass pyrolysis processes.

Keywords: Biomass; Almonds shells; Pyrolysis; Kinetics; Catalyzed pyrolysis; Cenospheres (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:180:y:2021:i:c:p:1380-1390

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2021.08.104

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