Pyrolysis of Prosopis cineraria for bio-oil production

Bioenergy is a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel reserves. In this study, the pyrolysis of Ghaf biomass waste for bio-oil production was experimentally investigated in a tubular flow reactor. The pyrolysis conditions were optimized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at heating rates of 10, 20, 30, and 40 ̊C/min over a temperature range of 25–750 ̊C. Pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of the bio-oil revealed that 40% of the volatile compounds were carboxylic acids and 30% were aliphatic hydrocarbons, both of which are essential for producing high-quality biofuels. In addition, 25% of the bio-oil consists of non-oxygenated hydrocarbons, which increases its suitability as a fuel. The composition of the non-condensable gases was dominated by ethylene (42.3%), a valuable intermediate for chemical synthesis, while carbon monoxide (13.6%) contributed to syngas production. The activation energies ( E a ), determined using the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose, and Starink methods, were 141.75, 140.04 and 140.30 kJ/mol, respectively. E a analysis provides insights for optimizing the pyrolysis reactor design to improve energy efficiency and understand the conversion efficiency. The results highlight the potential of Ghaf biomass waste as a valuable feedstock for bioenergy production and contribute to waste utilization and sustainable energy solutions.