A study of product distribution under fast pyrolysis of wheat stalk while producing bio-oil

Abstract

Pakistan is Asia's third largest producer of wheat (Triticum Aestivum) which serves as the staple diet of the country and makes 10.1 % of total agricultural production. It provides an abundant resource of carbon-neutral biomass. It is widely regarded as a sustainable and renewable resource of clean energy. Py-GC/MS (pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) applied to reveal the product distribution of wheat stalk under 300–650°C pyrolysis temperature. The decomposition of feedstock started to procedure organic volatile products at the set temperature of 300°C while maximum desired pyrolytic products favorable to produce bio-oil achieve at 500°C. The products achieved during this process categorized into eight groups such as phenolic compounds, furans, linear ketones, anhydrosugars, linear acids and so on with distinct pyrolytic pathways. Maximum pyrolytic products including 27.32% of phenolic, 10.74% of furans, 8.53% of linear ketones, 7.66% of anhydrosugars, and 11.12% of linear acids out of the total peak area% were achieved at 500°C temperature. However, the addition of a catalyst may help to increase the utility of byproducts achieved during fast pyrolysis.