Catalytic and non−catalytic pyrolysis of Spirulina platensis residue (SPR): Effects of temperature and catalyst content on bio-oil yields and its composition

Abstract

Problems associated with the development of the first and second generations of biofuel, especially regarding its raw materials and complex processes, have led to the evolution of the third generation one, a microalgae-based bio-oil through pyrolysis. This research explored the effect of temperature ranging between 300−700 °C and the presence of Silica−alumina (Si-Al) catalyst at the variation of 5–20 wt.% on the pyrolysis process of Spirulina platensis microalgae solid residue, in search of optimum condition for collecting maximum bio-oil yield and its desired composition. The experiments without catalysts reached their optimum yield of 28 wt.% at 550 °C. While the involvement of 5 wt.% of Si- Al catalyst in the reactor resulted in a higher yield than that of without catalyst beyond 550 °C. Furthermore, a high amount of catalyst content at 20 wt.% seems to improve bio-oil yield collection up to 34.10 wt.%. Interestingly, referring to its C atoms number, SPR-based bio-oil by catalytic pyrolysis tended to produce such a considerable amount of gasoline leading to Pertamax, and the one without catalyst produced gasoline leading to Pertalite.