Properties of Torrefied Palm Kernel Shell via Microwave Irradiation

Abstract

This study describes the characteristic and thermal properties of torrefied palm kernel shell (PKS) by microwave irradiation pretreatment. The microwave power level (200, 300, 450, and 600 W) and processing time (4, 8, and 12 min) were used in this study. The pretreated samples were analyzed for mass and energy yield, calorific value, proximate and elemental composition, and thermal decomposition. Results showed that the characteristic of pretreated PKS was enhanced by increasing the microwave power level and processing the time. The oxygen content and O/C ratio of torrefied PKS were reduced by increasing the microwave power level. The carbon content of pretreated PKS, which was closed to the untreated MB coal properties with comparable calorific value, was obtained. The microwave power level of 450 W and processing time of 8 min were suitable to upgrade the PKS to a respectable quality feedstock. Thus, it can be concluded that the alteration in physical, chemical, and thermal properties of torrefied PKS discovered the potential of this feedstock to be applied in subsequent thermochemical conversion such as pyrolysis and gasification.

Sustainable biofuel and bioenergy production from biomass waste residues using microwave-assisted heating: A comprehensive review

“…However, considering the potential of microwave-assisted heating for torrefaction, the research interest has grown utilizing different residual wastes from agricultural residues [79][80][81][82][83][84] to the organic fractions of sewage sludge [85][86][87][88], municipal solid wastes [89], and even cotorrefaction of waste oil fractions and other feedstock [90]. Table 5 summarizes different biomass materials utilized as feedstocks, the parameters observed, and important findings in the context of MW-assisted torrefaction (MAT).…”

“…Optimization of parameters is a must since an excessive amount of MW absorbers might cause the occurrence of selective heating (hotspots) wherein if the proper amounts are used, the desired temperature can be achieved at a shorter duration (20 min), thus lessening the energy consumption [89-91, 95, 96]. Overall, MW torrefaction can achieve comparable energy yields (70-90%) to conventional heating methods but with greater MW power levels are required at significantly shorter durations [79,81,97,98].…”

“…The majority gave credits to the improved energy efficiency by the use of microwave heating [203,204]. The greater electric energy requirement of microwave to produce higher yields and better fuel properties was offset by the shorter duration times required to process biomass [22,47,63,64,79,81,97,98,111,125,156,176,178]. Due to the unique heating mechanism of microwaves, several other advantages are reported and summarized in Table 12.…”

The Ecofriendly Biosorbent of Methylene Blue Using Banana Peels Waste

“…It is selected to represent a group of dyes commonly large in molecular size and complicated to be degraded in the natural environment. It is generally used for dyeing cotton, wool, silk, textiles and leather, printing calico and biological staining (Jawad et al, 2018). The disposal of MB dyes into rivers, groundwater systems, and other water sources represents a severe pollution problem.…”