ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effect of temperature on the slow pyrolysis of oil palm mesocarp fibres. The biomass was characterized in terms of proximate and ultimate analysis, and its higher heating value (HHV) was 18.51 MJ/kg. For pyrolysis temperatures from 469 to 783°C, at a heating rate of 20°C/min, bio-char yield varied between 32.7% and 25.8%. Gas and liquid phases were analysed by gas chromatography and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR), respectively. CO2 was the major gas produced for all temperatures (6.9 to 10.0mol/kg of biomass) and H2 concentration increased rapidly as the temperature rose (0.6 to 8.0 mol/kg of biomass). FTIR measurements show that the bio-oils contained alcohols, phenols, alkanes, alkenes, carboxylic acids, aldehydes and aromatic compounds. The HHV of both bio-chars (27.50 to 28.86 MJ/kg) and bio-oils (25.95 to 28.50 MJ/kg) were measured. Thermal decomposition of the fibres was also studied using thermogravimetric analysis.
