Microwave pyrolysis of olive pomace for bio-oil and bio-char production

Williams, Orla S.A.; Kostas, Emily T.; Dur�n-Jim�nez, Gabriela; Shepherd, Benjamin J.; Meredith, Will; Stevens, Lee A.; Robinson, John P.; Lye, Gary J.

Abstract

Olive pomace is a widely available agro-industrial waste residue in Europe that has the potential to contribute towards a circular, low carbon bio-economy. This study demonstrated, for the first time, the ability to successfully pyrolyse olive pomace with microwaves for the production of bio-char and bio-oil. It was found that the energy requirement needed to pyrolyse up to 80% of the olive pomace was as low as 3.6 kJ/g and bio-oil yields up to 30% were produced. Microwave power did not influence the overall yields or the chemical composition of the obtained bio-oils, but did alter the textural properties of the generated bio-chars and their ability to remove methylene blue dye. Optimum processing conditions were found to be within the 3.6 kJ/g energy requirement with a microwave power of 200 W and processing time of 180 sec. These conditions produced a bio-oil fraction containing mainly acetic acid (71.9%) and a bio-char with a surface area of 392.3 m2/g, micropore volume of 0.15 cm3/g and a methylene blue removal efficiency of 40 qMB mg/g. The results acquired from this study reveal the superiority of microwave heating in a pyrolysis system and highlight a novel and prospective route for added value recovery from natural waste resources like olive pomace.

Citation

Williams, O. S., Kostas, E. T., Durán-Jiménez, G., Shepherd, B. J., Meredith, W., Stevens, L. A., …Lye, G. J. (2020). Microwave pyrolysis of olive pomace for bio-oil and bio-char production. Chemical Engineering Journal, 387, Article 123404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2019.123404

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 5, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Nov 6, 2019
• Publication Date: May 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Nov 29, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 7, 2020
• Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal
• Print ISSN: 1385-8947
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 387
• Article Number: 123404
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2019.123404
• Keywords: Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering; General Chemistry; General Chemical Engineering; Environmental Chemistry
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3444081
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894719328177