Influence of the Nitrogen Flowrates on the Bio Oil Production and Characterization from Pyrolysis of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch

Recent studies indicate that bio-oil production from EFB is highly influenced by the temperature during pyrolysis. In this study the pyrolysis process was conducted at the optimum temperature of 500°C for 60 minutes and the nitrogen gas flowrate (N2) was varied between 1 and 3 L/min. The bio-oil itself can be obtained from the condensed gas pyrolysis product. The characteristics of bio-oil were then identified based on biofuel quality standards. The bio-oil was then tested in order to determine its physical properties such as its density, water content, and acid number. Besides, the chemical components of the bio oil were identified by using GC-MS. The results show that the density of bio-oil is within the range of 0.9918 - 1.0083 g/cm3. The highest water content produced is 27.22% at a flow rate of 1 L/min. The acid number of bio oil is ranging from 124.9 – 139.6 mg KOH / g. According to GCMS test results, linoleic acid content is high at a flow rate of 1 L / min, while hexadecane content dominates by 15.79% at a 2 L / min rate. Further observation on the rate of 3 L / min shows that phenol content increases.