Fast pyrolysis of chestnut cupulae and its liquid products characterization

Liquid products obtained from biomass fast pyrolysis are used as fuel, power supply and production of raw materials.In this study, fast pyrolysis of chestnut cupulae was investigated in a fixed bed reactor. During the pyrolysis process, it were investigated the effect of particle size, pyrolysis temperature and sweep gas flow rate on the pyrolysis product yields. Chestnut cupulae was selected as a source of biomass. The reactor was heated to the pyrolysis temperatures of 400, 500, 600, 700°C at a constant heaty rate of 200 °C/min. Experiments were conducted using four different particle size ranges (Dp), namely, 2,00 < Dp > 1,00 mm, 1,00 < Dp >0,425 mm, 0,425 < Dp > 0,250 mm, and Dp < 0,250 mm. The experiments were conducted with sweep gas flow rates of 100, 200, 300, and 400 cm3/ min. Experiments show that pyrolysis yields depended mainly on pyrolysis temperature. The pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C, the particle size of less than 0,250 mm and the sweep gas flow rate of 100 cm3/ min was the most suitable for decomposition of the chestnut cupulae for a maximum oil yield.The pyrolysis oil obtained from optimum conditions is examined by using spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. Chromatographic and spectroscopic studies on pyrolysis liquid have shown that chestnut cupulae can be used as a fuel and chemical feedstock.