Copyrolysis of peanut shells and cassava starch mixtures: effect of the components proportion

L. I. GUREVICH; P. R. BONELLI; A.L. CUKIERMAN

JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2015 vol. 113 p. 508 - 517

0165-2370

Copyrolysis of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) shells andcassava (Manihot esculenta) starch using mixtures of different proportions wasexamined to improve yield of the bio-oil and its quality. Pyrolysis of theindividual components was also investigated in order to quantify theimprovement of the measured properties. The kinetics of pyrolysis/copyrolysiswas characterized by thermogravimetrical analysis and the application of two differentmodels: one which takes into account the deactivation of the solid, and anotherone which assumes a normal distribution of the activation energy. Interactionsbetween the starch and the shells were inferred since maximum reaction rateswere, in all cases, lower than the weighed average values obtained for the pyrolysisof the individual components. Furthermore, both the bio-oil yield and the watercontent of the liquids showed synergistic effects. A mixture composed by 75 wt%of starch and 25 wt% of peanut shells led to maximize the yield of the bio-oil(58.2 wt%), while its water content was reduced in 3.4% in comparison with thevalue expected from the weighed average of the individual results. On the otherhand, the addition of the starch to the peanut shells led to a bio-char withless ash content. It could be more suitable for further combustion in steamboilers.