Characterisation of the pyrolysis oil derived from bael shell (aegle marmelos)

In the present work, bael shell (aegle marmelos) is used as the feedstock for pyrolysis, using a fixed bed reactor to investigate the characteristics of the pyrolysis oil. The product yields, e.g., liquid, char and gases are produced from the biomass at different temperatures with the particle size of 0.5-1.0 mm, at the heating rate of 150 degrees C/min. The maximum liquid yield, i.e., 36.23 wt.%, was found at 5500 degrees C. Some physical properties of the pyrolysis oil such as calorific value, viscosity, density, pH, flash point and fire point are evaluated. The calorific value of the bael shell pyrolysis oil was 20.4 MJ/kg, which is slightly higher than the biomass, i.e., 18.24 MJ/kg. The H/C and O/C ratios of the bio-oil were found as 2.3 and 0.56 respectively, which are quite higher than some other bio-oils. Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) and Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) analyses showed that the pyrolysis oil of bael shell is mostly composed by phenolic and acidic compounds. The results of the properties of the bael shell pyrolysis oil reveal the potential of the oil as an alternate fuel with the essential upgradation of some properties.