Characterization of bio-oil obtained from fruit pulp pyrolysis

Apricot pulps was pyrolyzed in a fixed-bed reactor under different pyrolysis conditions to determine the role of final temperature, sweeping gas flow rate and steam velocity on the product yields and liquid product composition with a heating rate of 5 degrees C/min. Final temperature range studied was between 300 and 700 degrees C and the highest liquid product yield was obtained at 550 degrees C. Liquid product yield increased significantly under nitrogen and steam atmospheres. For the optimum conditions, pyrolysis of peach pulp was furthermore studied. Liquid products obtained under the most suitable conditions were characterized by FTIR and H-1-NMR. In addition, gas chromatography/mass spectrophotometer was achieved on all pyrolysis oils. Characterization showed that bio-oil could be a potential Source for synthetic fuels and chemical feedstock. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.