Catalytic Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Castor Residue: Effect on Product Yield and Distribution of Liquid Product

Ravneet Kaur; Poonam Gera; Mithilesh Kumar Jha; Thallada Bhaskar

Authors

Ravneet Kaur Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar 144011, India | Biomass Conversion Area (BCA), Materials Resource Efficiency Division (MRED), CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun 248005, India
Poonam Gera Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar 144011, India
Mithilesh Kumar Jha Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar 144011, India
Thallada Bhaskar Biomass Conversion Area (BCA), Materials Resource Efficiency Division (MRED), CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun 248005, India | Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi

Keywords:

Castor residue, Hydrothermal liquefaction, Alkali catalysts, Bio-oil

Abstract

Castor plant (Ricinus communis) is an evergreen perennial shrub, typically found in India, Eastern Africa, and tropical regions.Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of castor plant residue (leaves and stem) was performed at different operating temperatures (260, 280, 300°C) at a residence time of 60 min in the presence of alkali catalysts (KOH, K2CO3). The maximum total bio-oil yield (TBO) of ca. 21.2 wt.% was obtained at 300°C, 60 min and in the presence of 0.5 M K2CO3. The obtained bio-products (bio-oil, bio-char) have been analyzed using the Elemental analysis (CHNS), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Proton Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM).The major compounds identified in bio-oil by GC-MS were phenols, aromatic hydrocarbons, N-contained compounds, aldehydes, ketones, amides, alcohols, and acids.