BIO-OIL UPGRADE FROM SISAL RESIDUE
bio-oil, sisal residue, fast pyrolysis, fluidized bed, catalytic transformation, O/C ratio, phenolic, aromatic.
The sisal residue bio-oil, produced by the fast pyrolysis process in a fluidized bed, presented unusual viscosity and flow characteristics in relation to the typical bio-oils found in the literature. The characterization performed in the bio-oil showed that it has a differentiated composition, which stands out due to the low O/C ratio and the high phenolic content, which varied according to the process operating conditions. The present work has the objective of evaluating the reduction of oxygen species in the sisal residue bio-oil from the influence of the operational variables of the fast pyrolysis process and its catalytic transformation by Cu-Al/MCM-41 type catalysts. The bio-oils were produced from N2 (8-9 Nm³/h), reaction temperature (450-500 ºC), biomass injection flow rate (610-1000 g/h) and (50-1700 mmH2O). The bio-oil that provided the lowest oxygen-to-carbon ratio (O/C) elements, besides having the highest content of aromatics, was obtained with N2 flow rate of 8 Nm³/h, temperature of 450 °C, biomass flow rate of 1000 g/h and system pressure of 50 mmH2O. The bio-oil with the highest phenolic content (14,2 wt%), in turn, was obtained with the lowest N2 flow rate of 8 Nm³/h, biomass flow rate of 610 g/h and reaction temperature of 500 ºC. In this last operating condition, a product with a lower average molecular weight (~ 362 g/mol) was obtained, which indicated the favoring of the depolymerization of the bio-oil. In general, the oxygen contents obtained were much lower than those reported for pyrolysis oils; while the sisal residue bio-oil obtained an O/C ratio of 0,13, without catalyst, the other oils obtained 1,5 on average. These preliminary results showed that the sisal residue bio-oil presents a composition with high contents of phenolic compounds. It has, therefore, great potential for obtaining biofuels and/or aromatics and phenols of high added value through catalytic modification, due to the low oxygen content and high degree of depolymerization.