Exploring the potential of fast pyrolysis of invasive biomass species for the production of chemicals

The pyrolysis of five invasive plants crowded in Colombia (Liquidambar styraciflua, Sambucus nigra, Cecropia telenitida, Ruta greveolens, and Clusia orthoneura) has been studied for the first time in order to assess their potential for the production of liquid and solid fuels and chemical products. The volatiles produced from the fast pyrolysis of these biomass species at three different temperatures (500, 600 and 700 ºC) were analyzed by Py-GC/MS. In spite of the different nature of the feedstock, the bio-oil produced from the pyrolysis of all the biomasses at the three temperatures studied is mainly composed of phenols (with a relative content in the 19–26.5 % range), acids (14.6–19.5 %), ketones (13.4–19.2 %) and levoglucosan (6.7–15.4 %). Temperature has a moderate effect, leading to a decrease in the relative content of all component families, except aldehydes and hydrocarbons, when it is increased. Biochars produced at 500 ºC show high calorific values, as well as low H/C and O/C ratios, which prove their high stability in the soil. These results are clear evidence that the valorization of these invasive plants by pyrolysis may be an effective strategy for the mitigation of their associated impacts.