Effect of process parameters on supercritical liquefaction of Xanthium strumarium for bio-oil production

Supercritical liquefaction process is used for producing energy from biomass. The common reaction conditions for supercritical liquefaction process are the 240-380 degrees C temperature range and 5-20 MPa pressure values range. Xanthium strumarium liquefaction experiments were performed in a cylindrical reactor (75 mL) in organic solvents (acetone, ethanol, methanol) under supercritical conditions with (zinc oxide, calcium hydroxide) and without catalyst at the temperatures of 250, 275 and 300 degrees C. The produced liquids at 300 degrees C in liquefaction were analyzed and characterized by Elemental, GC-MS and FT-IR. 36, 37 and 50 different types of compounds were identified by GC-MS obtained in acetone, ethanol and methanol respectively. The liquid product efficiency has been obtained at 300 degrees C in acetone with zinc oxide catalyst (74.80%). The highest HHV value has been calculated as 32.16 MJ/kg with calcium hydroxide catalyst in acetone. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.