Recent Advances in Biomass Pyrolysis Processes for Bioenergy Production: Optimization of Operating Conditions

Dina Aboelela, Habibatallah Saleh, Attia M. Attia, Yasser Elhenawy, Thokozani Majozi and Mohamed Bassyouni ()
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Dina Aboelela: Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The British University in Egypt (BUE), El-Sherouk City 11837, Egypt
Habibatallah Saleh: Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The British University in Egypt (BUE), El-Sherouk City 11837, Egypt
Attia M. Attia: Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, The British University in Egypt (BUE), El-Sherouk City 11837, Egypt
Yasser Elhenawy: School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
Thokozani Majozi: School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
Mohamed Bassyouni: Center of Excellence for Membrane Testing and Characterization (CEMTC), Port Said University, Port Said 42526, Egypt

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-30

Abstract: Bioenergy has emerged to be among the primary choices for the short- and medium-term replacement of fossil fuels and the reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The most practical method for transforming biomass into biofuel is thermochemical conversion, which may be broken down into combustion, torrefaction, pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, and gasification. In this study, producing biofuels using a biomass pyrolysis process was investigated. This study explored the pyrolysis process and operating conditions to optimize the process parameters to maximize the desired product yields and quality. The pyrolysis process produces three main products, which are bio-oil, bio-char, and gas. There are three classifications for the pyrolysis method, with each of them producing a majority of a certain product. First, slow pyrolysis is conducted in the temperature range of 300–950 °C and residence time of 330–550 s. It produces around a 30% oil yield and 35% char yield, and thus, the majority yield of slow pyrolysis is char. Second, fast pyrolysis produces around 50% oil, 20% char, and 30% gas yields with a temperature range of 850–1250 °C and a residence time of 0.5–10 s. The average yield of flash pyrolysis was found to be 75% bio-oil, 12% bio-char, and 15% gas, which is conducted within less than 1 s. It was reported that the pyrolysis of biomass was simulated using ASPEN Plus, where the effects of several parameters, such as the temperature, heating rate, and residence time, on the product yield and composition were investigated. Pyrolysis was performed under different conditions ranging from 400 to 600 °C. The effects of different catalysts on the pyrolysis process were studied. It was found that the addition of a catalyst could increase the yield of bio-oil and improve the quality of the product. The optimal operating condition for the pyrolysis process was determined to be a temperature of 500 °C, which resulted in a higher bio-oil yield. It was found that the biofuel yield was enhanced by selecting appropriate raw materials, such as rice husk, along with the pyrolysis temperature (e.g., 450 °C) and particle size (350–800 µm), and using a low residence time and pressure.

Keywords: integrated system; pyrolysis methods; parameters; simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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