Biofuels and Bioenergy

Biography

Biography: Joselito A. Olalo

Abstract

In a coconut husk pyrolysis, the operating parameters such as composition, process temperature, heating rate and the particle size affect the outcome of the pyrolysis. The objective of this paper is to study the effect of particle size and temperature in coconut husk pyrolysis under different heating rates. A Box–Behnken design was employed to determine the effect of the two independent variables on the biochar production rate and to find the optimum condition of each variable for improved biochar production. FTIR and SEM were done to determine the structure and spectra of initial material and output char of coconut husk and how pyrolysis affects it.  In this paper, the size of the coconut husk particle and temperature are considered as a major factor in determining the yield and the gross calorific value of the pyrolysis reaction. Experimental results showed that a yield of 38%, 32%, and 28% for 500^oC, 600^oC and 700^oC, respectively. Also a higher heating value of 20 MJ/kg, 23 MJ/kg and 26 MJ/kg for 500^oC, 600^oC and 700^oC, respectively. The larger the particle size of the coconut husk, the longer the completion time of the pyrolysis reaction. This study also confirms the impact of using optimization techniques to determine the optimized particle size and temperature for coconut husk pyrolysis. The RSM with the Box–Behnken design was a useful tool for achieving the high yield and calorific value of biochar production.