Catalytic Co-Pyrolysis of Oil Palm Frond and Plastic Waste into Liquid Fuel using Ni-CaO Catalyst

Abstract

The decline in fossil fuel sources is directly linked to the increasing global energy demand, highlighting the urgent need for renewable energy sources. One highly efficient and eco-friendly alternative is bio-oil from co-pyrolysis, a process that effectively breaks down biomass with a high hydrogen index efficiency ratio (H/C). This research comprehensively examines the factors influencing bio-oil production, including the pretreatment of palm fronds with formic acid, the ratio of plastic to palm frond, and the percentage of Ni-CaO catalysts. The study reveals that pretreating the biomass with formic acid and adding low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic increase bio-oil yield, while the addition of Ni-CaO catalyst has the opposite effect. These variations notably impact the enhancement of bio-oil quality, as evidenced by calorific value, acid number, density, and bio-oil constituent compounds. Specifically, Bio-oil obtained from OPF prepared with 70% formic acid, 50:50 OPF to LDPE ratio and 15% Ni-CaO catalyst addition yielded 49.6% with an acid number of 8.57 mgKOH/g, density of 0.98 g/mL and heating value of 31.732 MJ/Kg.