A Complete Characterization of Solid, Liquid, and Gas Phase Products Derived from the Thermochemical Pathway of New Feedstock Grevillea Robusta Sawdust

Grevillea robusta is widely used in the carpentry industry due to its long life and strength but the saw dust wastage is just thrown out as manure. This work focuses on analyzing the properties of sub-fractions obtained from the pyrolysis of sawdust of Grevillea Robusta (GR). Pyrolysis was done in a top-loaded fixed bed pyrolysis reactor at 500˚ C temperature, a heating rate of 30° C/minute, and a particle size of 2-3 mm (average). Pyrolysis reactor temperatures were analyzed using Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). The by-products were analyzed by techniques like Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography (GC), and Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) techniques along with physiochemical characterization carried out using ASTM (American Society for Testing Materials) D-7544 standard. A thermal study reveals that the higher decomposition of biomass sample occurred in the temperature of 345-370 ˚C. There were 35 components found in the pyrolysis oil with varying carbon lengths of C3 – C44. The proximate and ultimate analysis responses clearly show that the calorific value of pyrolysis oil is increased by 112.88% than that of the biomass sample. Meanwhile other properties like fixed carbon, and nitrogen (N2) content increased whereas moisture content decreased in biochar than the biomass sample, which confirms the presence of hydrocarbons in the pyrolytic gas released out of the reactor. Sawdust, which is often considered a waste product in the forestry, furniture, and woodwork-based industries, can be converted into useful energy. The current study intends to investigate the various forms of energy, such as biofuels or biomass-based power generation. This conversion process can create new economic opportunities, including job creation in the biomass industry, reduced energy costs for businesses and households, and decreased dependence on imported energy sources. These analyses confirm that the by-products can be used efficiently as substitutes for conventional fuel.