LAUSR

Abstract This study aims to investigate the effects of temperature on the yield and properties of the subfractions derived from the pyrolysis of seed cakes of Calophyllum inophyllum . The seed cake of Calophyllum inophyllum , a large evergreen tree found in southern coastal belts of India, was Pyrolysed in three different temperatures of 450 °C, 500 °C and 550 °C in a fixed bed batch type reactor at a constant heating rate of 30 °C/minute and average particle size of 1.44 mm. The sub fractions were characterized by analytical techniques like FTIR, GC–MS and GC along with physicochemical characterization using ASTM D7544 standard. The highest yield of bio-oil was observed in the pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C above which the gas yield increases due to secondary cracking of volatiles. Major changes in FTIR spectra and peak area of GC–MS were observed for the products derived in three different temperature conditions. Proximate and ultimate analysis showed the significant changes in the composition of char obtained at various temperatures. It was observed that H/C and O/C ratio of biochar decreased with increase in operating temperature. Among the physicochemical of bio-oil, kinematic viscosity decreased by 21.32% as the pyrolysis temperature was increased from 450 °C to 550 °C whereas water content increased by 19.73% in the same temperature range. Meanwhile, other properties like calorific value, density and cetane number showed minor variations for the bio-oil obtained at dissimilar temperatures. The results proved that the pyrolysis temperature affects the properties of the products in a wide range.