Properties of Bio-Oil Produced by Co-Pyrolysis of Calotropis procera Stem and Waste Polystyrene

In this work, initially pyrolysis of Calotropis procera stem (CPS) was performed. Then, CPS was co-pyrolysed with waste polystyrene (WPS) taken in the proportion of 50:50 by weight of CPS and WPS. The product yields and properties of bio-oil obtained from pyrolysis of CPS and co-pyrolysis of CPS-WPS were compared. Pyrolysis experiments were carried out in a tixed bed reactor. The feedstock was heated to 500 degrees C in inert nitrogen gas atmosphere that was allowed at a flow rate of 20 mUmin and the heating rate was maintained at 5 degrees C/min The pyrolysis of CPS and co-pyrolysis of CPS-WPS produced 6.28% and 47.34% bio-oil respectively. The GC-MS analysis showed that CPS biooil consisted of mainly phenolic compounds and few oxygenated, aliphatic and cyclic compounds. The CPS-WPS bio-oil was composed of mono-aromatics, esters and nitrogenated compounds. Bio-oil with reduced phenolic compounds and increased ester content was obtained by co-pyrolysis. The CPS-WPS bio-oil also possessed improved caloritic value and viscosity.