Characterization of biomass solid wastes of Brunei Darussalam for their pyrolytic conversion into liquid oil

In Brunei Darussalam biomass solid wastes create disposal problems and are rather buried or burnt as unusable waste. In this study the characterization of biomass solid wastes relevant to pyrolysis is taken into consideration. The work focuses on the study of locally available selected biomass solid wastes properties for the selection of suitable feedstock and the proper design of pyrolysis system. The characterization studies involve determination of physical properties, proximate analysis, gross calorific value and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The physical properties include the size of the particles and the bulk density. The proximate analysis is for the determination of the moisture content, ash content and gross calorific values. The thermal behavior is studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). For the present study the biomass solid wastes considered are sawdust, corn fiber, rice husk, coconut shell and coconut fiber. The wastes are found to have favorable properties from the study. The sawdust is found to be the best feedstock candidate for liquid oil production by pyrolysis technology. It is found that the operating temperature for the pyrolysis reactor to be designed taking saw dust as the biomass solid waste should be in the range of 300°C to 600°C.