Effect of Co-Pyrolysing Biomasswaste with Plastics Waste

With the on-going depletion of fossil fuel reserve, biomass originated fuel has been studied widely. Bio-oil from pure biomass is known to contain high level of oxygenated species resulting to poor quality and yield; hence normally required upgrading before it can be applied to engines. However when co-pyrolysed with plastics at some particular composition, free radicals coming off from decomposed plastics during pyrolysis contains high amount of hydrogen radicals which are capable of bonding with oxygen free radicals from the biomass thereby improving the quality and yield of the bio-oil, a mechanism referred to as synergetic reaction. Mixtures of elephant grass (Biomass) and plastic wastes were co-pyrolyzed with the aim of improving the quality and quantity of bio-oil. The effect of plastic waste addition to biomass wastes on bio-oil yield and quality was investigated. Temperature effect on bio-oil yield was also studied. Experimental conditions (temperature and plastics addition) in?uenced product quality and yields: An increase in reaction temperature between 450 and 500?C led to an increase in bio-oil yield. Plastics addition to biomass was found to have synergetically upsurge the bio-oil yield. Bio-oil quality significantly improved by the addition of plastics as all the quality parameters investigated shows improved quality for the bio-oil obtained from blended feed( biomass and plastics) when compared to the non-blended feed.