Properties of Bio-oil from Fast Pyrolysis of Rice Husk

Physicochemical properties of bio-oil obtained from fast pyrolysis of rice husk were studied in the present work. Molecular distillation was used to separate the crude bio-oil into three fractions viz, light fraction, middle fraction and heavy fraction. Their chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The thermal behavior, including evaporation and decomposition, was investigated using thermogravimetric analyzer coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (TG-FTIR). The product distribution was significantly affected by contents of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The bio-oil yield was 46.36% (by mass) and the yield of gaseous products was 27% (by mass). The chemicals in the bio-oil included acids, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, phenols, sugars, etc. The light fraction was mainly composed of acids and compounds with lower boiling point temperature, the middle and heavy fractions were consisted of phenols and levoglucosan. The thermal stability of the bio-oil was determined by the interactions and intersolubility of compounds. It was found that the thermal stability of bio-oil was better than the light fraction, but worse than the middle and heavy fractions.