Can waste eggshell replace commercial zeolites as catalyst for bio-oil production?

• Main Authors: Seah C.C., Habib S.H., Hafriz R.S.R.M., Shamsuddin A.H., Salmiaton A.
• Other Authors: 58123946800
• Format: Article
• Published: Elsevier B.V. 2024
• Subjects: Bio-oil; Co-pyrolysis; Eggshell catalyst; Empty fruit bunch; High-density polyethene; Catalysts; Fruits; Gas chromatography; High density polyethylenes; Hydrocarbons; Lime; Mass spectrometry; Particle size; Particle size analysis; Pyrolysis; Zeolites; Bio-oils; Commercial zeolite; Copyrolysis; Egg-shell catalysts; Empty fruit bunches; Hydrocarbon content; Polyethene; Zeolite catalyst; ]+ catalyst; Scanning electron microscopy
• Institution: Universiti Tenaga Nasional

The utilisation of calcium oxide (CaO) from waste chicken eggshells, fishbone, and dolomite as a catalyst in the co-pyrolysis of empty fruit bunch (EFB) and high-density polyethene plastic (HDPE) was investigated and compared with existing commercial zeolite catalysts (HZSM-5, NaY, and FCC). In-situ catalytic co-pyrolysis of EFB-HDPE was performed for each CaO and zeolite-based catalyst. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyse the hydrocarbon content of the bio-oil produced by pyrolysis. The highest hydrocarbon content (61.62%) was obtained from the calcined eggshell (CES) catalyst and was comparable to that of the commercial zeolite catalyst, HZSM-5, with a hydrocarbon content of 53.53%. Brunauer�Emmett�Teller (BET) analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analysis, and Particle Size Analysis (PSA) have proven the viability of CaO-based catalysts in the co-pyrolysis process for bio-oil production via fast pyrolysis. The CES achieved the desired pore diameter (175.15 nm) which was exhibited in the morphology analysis (SEM) and exhibited a uniform arrangement of calcium oxide particles and a porous structure. This finding provides fundamental insight into CaO from organic waste as a suitable alternative to zeolite catalysts in the co-pyrolysis of organic and inorganic feedstocks. � 2023 Elsevier B.V.