Production of bio-oil from de-oiled cakes by thermal pyrolysis

In the present study, pyrolysis of sesame (Sesamum indicum), mustard (Brassica napus) and neem (Azadirachta indica) de-oiled cakes were performed in a semi-batch reactor to determine the characteristics and yields of liquid and solid products. Pyrolysis experiments were carried out at the temperatures between 350 degrees C and 700 degrees C and at a heating rate of 25 degrees C min (1). The maximum liquid product yield of 58.5%, 53.2% and 40.2% (by weight) was obtained and has the calorific values 25.5, 25.1 and 30 MJ/kg for sesame, mustard and neem de-oiled cake respectively. The thermal degradation of sesame, mustard and neem de-oiled cake was studied in inert atmosphere by TGA. The chemical composition of the bio-oil and bio-char was investigated using H-1 NMR, FTIR, GC/MS and SEM-EDX. The chemical characterization showed that the bio-oil obtained from sesame, mustard and neem de-oiled cake can be potentially valued as a fuel and chemical feedstock. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.