Co-pyrolysis and synergistic effect analysis of biomass sawdust and polystyrene mixtures for production of high-quality bio-oils

Usage of traditional biomass raises serious concerns regarding its sustainability due to the inefficient combustion in household stoves and potential over-usage if the intention is to replace fossil fuels in power plants. Co-pyrolysis of biomass feedstock with different waste materials, especially plastics, might be a promising alternative for sustainable usage of enhanced biofuels. Even more, co-pyrolysis can help to integrate waste management schemes into the power production sector. Plastics materials have properties similar to those of fossil fuels in terms of heating value and the absence of oxygenated compounds; therefore, they could significantly improve the properties of biomass products, especially bio-oils. Especially interesting for this method is polystyrene (PS) since it yields a high share of liquid fraction, which is the most valuable pyrolytic product. In this work, co-pyrolysis was performed for a mixture of waste biomass sawdust (oak, poplar and fir wood) and waste polystyrene from dairy product packaging. Pyrolysis was carried out for sawdust and polystyrene alone, and their respective fuel blends (PS/SD 25-75%, PS/SD 50-50%, PS/SD 75-25%) from room temperature to 600 degrees C with a retention time of half an hour. The highest yield of liquid fraction was noticed for mixtures with 75 % of PS, while the lowest one was for blends with 25 % of PS, with a yield of 83.86 % and 62.33 %, respectively. Additionally, the mass spectrometric analysis was carried out to determine the chemical composition of the obtained oil. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Automated summary

The use of traditional biomass raises sustainability concerns, but co-pyrolysis of biomass with waste materials, especially plastics, offers a promising alternative for enhanced biofuel production. This method can significantly improve the properties of biomass products, particularly bio-oils.