Influence of Feedstock Particle Size from Merbau Wood (Intsia bijuga) on Bio-Oil Production Using a Heat Pipe Fin L-Shaped Condenser in a Pyrolysis Process

Bio-oil (liquid smoke) can be produced by condensing pyrolysis vapor. As a raw material, the sawdust from Merbau wood (Intsia bijuga) is heated to generate vapor. These vapors are then condensed in a liquid collecting system (LCS). The particle size of the sawdust influences the heating rate and eventually affects bio-oil production. To increase the yield of bio-oil while decreasing the power consumption of the process, the LCS design must be improved. In the present study, the authors aim to understand the relationship between the particle size and the liquid smoke yield using an LCS equipped with L-shaped heat pipe fin condensers. To this end, we experimentally investigated the influence of the particle size (2 mm, 0.707 mm, and 0.595 mm) of the raw material on the liquid smoke yield of an LCS in a pyrolysis process. The results show that increasing the feedstock particle size of Merbau wood sawdust increases the yield of liquid smoke. With a particle size of 2 mm, we achieved a 6% higher yield of liquid smoke than that with a particle size of 0.595 mm. In addition, the installation of the L-shaped heat pipe fin condensers improved the LCS performance.