Microwave-assisted pyrolysis of palm kernel shell: Optimization using response surface methodology (RSM)

Muhammad 'Azim Jamaluddin, Khudzir Ismail, Mohd Azlan Mohd Ishak, Zaidi Ab Ghani, Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, Muhammad Taqi-uddeen Safian, Siti Shawalliah Idris, Shawaluddin Tahiruddin, Mohammed Faisal Mohammed Yunus and Noor Irma Nazashida Mohd Hakimi

Renewable Energy, 2013, vol. 55, issue C, 357-365

Abstract: In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was applied to determine the optimum condition for pyrolysis of palm kernel shell (PKS) using microwave-assisted pyrolysis system. Three operating variables, namely reaction time (min), sample mass (g) and nitrogen gas flow rate (mL/min) with a total of 20 individual experiments were conducted to optimize the combination effects of the variables. RSM based upon CCRD can be applied to correlate the experimental microwave-assisted pyrolysis results, with regression coefficients of 96.6, 95.0, 96.4 and 99.2 for the calorific value, fixed carbon content, volatile matters content and yield percentage, respectively. This proved that the RSM based on CCRD is efficiently applicable for the pyrolysis study using microwave-assisted pyrolysis system. The predicted optimum conditions for the pyrolysis process was at 31.5 min for reaction time, 30 g for sample mass and 100 mL/min for nitrogen gas flow rate, resulting in calorific value, fixed carbon content, volatile matters content and yield percentage of 29.9 MJ/kg, 59.8 wt%, 36.4 wt% and 40.0 wt%, respectively. Thus, maximum production of PKS char, with low volatile matters content and high calorific value and fixed carbon content via microwave-assisted pyrolysis system can be optimized using RSM.

Keywords: Microwave-assisted pyrolysis; Palm kernel shell; Char; Response surface methodology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148113000049
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:55:y:2013:i:c:p:357-365

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2012.12.042

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides

More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().