Tuyển tập các báo cáo nghiên cứu khoa học trên tạp chí khoa học vật lý quốc tế đề tài: PYROLYSIS LIQUID DERIVED FROM OIL PALM EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES | Journal of Physical Science Vol. 17 2 117-129 2006 117 PYROLYSIS LIQUID DERIVED FROM OIL PALM EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES N. Abdullah1 and . Bridgwater2 1School of Physics Universiti Sains Malaysia 11800 USM Pulau Pinang Malaysia 2Bio-Energy Research Group Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry Aston University Birmingham UK Corresponding author nurhaya@ Abstract Oil palm waste especially empty fruit bunches EFB is a major management and disposal problem in Malaysia. This is an exploratory evaluation of the potential for recovering renewable fuels from the EFB via fast pyrolysis. Preliminary studies were done on the characteristics of the empty fruit bunches and the thermal behaviours using thermogravimetric analysis TGA were included as well. For the fast pyrolysis experimentation a 150 g h fluidized bed bench scale unit was used to study the effect of reaction temperature and vapour residence time on the pyrolysis products. Reaction temperatures studied were from 400 to 600 C. It was found that the maximum organics liquid yield was at a reactor temperature of 450 C. In all cases the pyrolysis liquid separated into two phases an aqueous and a tarry phase. The pyrolysis liquid was analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared FTIR spectroscopy. From the FTIR analysis it was found that the pyrolysis liquid derived from empty EFB consisted mostly of hydrocarbon compounds. Keywords fast pyrolysis empty fruit bunches Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy 1. INTRODUCTION The total contribution of biomass to the primary energy supply of Malaysia has been estimated to be at least million tonne oil equivalent MTOE in 1995 1 2 which is about 14 of the primary energy supply. However this is only of the total biological waste in Malaysia and most of the balance of the waste is allowed to decompose naturally or is burned in the open. If these wastes are used to produce energy it is expected that the biomass contribution for the energy utilization in
