Sustainable production of bio-oil and carbonaceous materials from biowaste co-pyrolysis

This study addressed the production of high-quality bio-oil and carbonaceous materials from in-situ co-pyrolysis of chicken manure (CM), algal bloom (AB) and woodchip (WC). The effects of biowaste-derived catalyst and AB-based NH3 on improving the quality of bio-oil, tar and carbonaceous materials were investigated, respectively. The major presence of Ca-Mg-P in CM resulted in a higher quality of bio-oil with a cetane number of 40 and HHVs of 38.62 MJ/kg. The loading of Ni2P further enhanced the catalytic performance of CM-derived catalyst and contributed to the produced bio-oil with a cetane number of 50 and HHVs of 40.85 MJ/kg. The major presence of K-Cl-Fe in AB and AB-based NH3 activation contributed to a larger specific surface area of carbonaceous materials as high as 567 m(2)/g. Furthermore, the catalytic activity, electrochemical activity and potential market value of biowaste-derived carbonaceous materials were explored in this study. To facilitate the investment decision-making in industrial applications, techno-economic analysis was conducted for the deployment of co-pyrolysis system in a hen layer farm for its daily treatment of 20-ton CM. The technological approach and techno-economic analysis can be generalized to the other types of bioresources. This work provides a novel and effective approach to convert and manage biowaste resources for environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality.

Automated summary

This study investigated the production of high-quality bio-oil and carbonaceous materials through co-pyrolysis of biowastes, and identified key factors for improving bio-oil quality. It also explored the techno-economic feasibility of the novel approach and proposed an effective pathway for the conversion and management of biowaste resources.