Thermal degradation ofScenedesmus obliquusfor biofuel production

Scenedesmus obliquusis a locally available microalgae in the north-eastern region of India. Pyrolysis ofScenedesmus obliquushas been performed in a fixed-bed vertical reactor, at 350 to 550 degrees C temperature range with 40 degrees C/min heating rate. The physicochemical properties of the solid and liquid yields were investigated. The influence of temperature on the amount of product yields was analysed. The highest bio-oil yield of 20.42% and bio-char yield of 58.63% were achieved at 500 degrees C and 350 degrees C, respectively.H-1 NMR and FTIR were performed for the bio-oil characterisation. The higher heating value of the bio-oil was found to be highest 32.97 MJ/kg at 550 degrees C. SEM-EDX, FTIR, and XRD techniques were used for the bio-char analysis and characterisation. The resulted char was found to be porous, amorphous, heterogeneous, and basic in nature. The present work suggestsScenedesmus obliquusas a potential candidate for the production of energy substituting conventional fuel sources.

Automated summary

The pyrolysis of Scenedesmus obliquus in a fixed-bed vertical reactor was investigated, and the results showed that it could produce bio-oil and bio-char within a temperature range of 350 to 550 degrees C, with the yields influenced by temperature. The bio-oil had the highest higher heating value at 550 degrees C, while the bio-char was porous, amorphous, heterogeneous, and basic in nature. Therefore, Scenedesmus obliquus has the potential to be used as an alternative energy source.