Characteristics of Pyrolysis Oil and Char from Oil Palm Shells

Abstract

Oil Palm cultivation in Malaysia has provided the world’s largest producer of crude palm oil with more than 7 million tonnes in 1994. Besides producing the crude oil, it also generate the solid waste ie. palm shells, empty fruit bunches and fruit fibres. Part of these waste are used to generate the energy to run the palm oil mill. Surplus amount of hard palm shells are available and could be converted into activated carbon after the conversion to palm char and pyrolysis oil.

Preliminary studies were made on the characteristics of palm oil shells in terms of size distribution, physical and chemical properties and the thermal behaviours using TGA. Later an investigation was conducted on the char and liquid derived fuel from oil palm solid waste via fast pyrolysis. For this purpose, fluidised bed pyrolysis were conducted in an inert bed at varying temperature from 400 to 600°C. The liquid product was analysed for its properties and compared with other biomass pyrolysis oils and petroluem fuels. The influence of some process conditions on the relative proportions of the liquid and solid products together with its properties and characteristics are presented. Some data on palm shell char characteristics were also given.