Production of Biofuel from Soft Shell of Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.)

Soft shell of pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) pyrolysis experiments were performed in a fixed-bed reactor to produce bio-oil. The effects of temperature, heating rate, and sweep gas (N(2)) flow rates on the yields and compositions of products were investigated. Pyrolysis runs were performed using reactor temperatures between 350 and 500 degrees C with heating rates of 15 and 50 degrees C/min. Nitrogen flow rates varied between 50 and 200 cm(3)/min and mean particle size was 0.8 mm. The maximum bio-oil yield of 33.18% was obtained in a nitrogen atmosphere with nitrogen flow rate of 150 cm(3)/min and at 450 degrees C pyrolysis temperature with a heating rate of 50 degrees C/min.The elemental analysis and gross heating value of the bio-oil were determined, and then the chemical composition of the bio-oil was investigated using chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. The chemical characterization has shown that the bio-oil obtained from soft shell of pistachio can be used as a renewable fuel and chemical feedstock.