Synthesis, Characterization and Catalytic Activity of Bio-MCM-41 for Production of Bio Crude Oil via Pyrolysis of Rice Straw

Agro waste is among potential feedstock for diverse applications due high organic content. In this context, rice straw is a prominent agro waste produced in large volumes. In addition to conventional applications, rice straw can be processed to produce useful products. Present study was designed for eco-friendly utilization of rice straw waste for production of bio-oil and biocatalyst. Pyrolysis of rice straw (in absence and presence of synthesized biocatalyst) was conducted for production of bio-oil and biochar. Bio-MCM-41 as biocatalyst, was synthesised directly from rice straw and also from solid residue obtained after catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolysis of rice straw. Characterization and comparative study of all three catalyst was done through FTIR, XRD SEM and EDX analysis. Catalytic pyrolysis also resulted in enhanced bio-oil production yield of Biooil-1 and Bio-oil-2 obtained after non-catalytic pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis was 26.78% and 30.34% respectively. The HHV of bio-oil extracted through catalytic pyrolysis was 48.8 +/- 0.1 MJ/Kg which was higher when compared to the bio-oil obtained through non-catalytic pyrolysis (37.9 +/- 0.2 MJ/Kg) as a result of a lower oxygen content. Reutilization of biochar for biocatalyst synthesis was the novel approach in this study which resulted in complete utilization of rice straw waste, with no residue released into the environment making the overall process environment friendly. Catalyst synthesized directly from rice straw and the catalyst obtained from biochar (recovered after pyrolysis) exhibited similar characteristic features. [Graphics] .