Production by Pyrolysis and Analysis of Bio-oil from Mahogany Wood (Swietenia macrophylla)

This work presents the production and the analysis of pyrolysis oil (bio-oil) obtained from a hard wood chips (Mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla). A pyrolysis batch type reactor was designed and constructed to carry out the production process of the pyrolysis oil. The yield of mahogany pyrolysis oil was optimized with reaction temperature to produce high quantity of gaseous outputs. Elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared analysis were carried out. The FTIR analysis revealed the presence of aliphatic and aromatic compounds in the mahogany pyrolysis oil. The physio-chemical properties of mahogany pyrolysis oil were determined. During the production process, the temperatures at which the yields were obtained were recorded. This was done using a temperature regulator and a thermocouple mounted on the body of the furnace. The results showed that the flash point, pour point, gross and net calorific values are 125°C, 4, 21.96 MJ/kg and 20.65 MJ/kg respectively, at the end of pyrolysis. The maximum liquid yield is 60% at 450°C. The combustible organic compounds of pyrolysis oil obtained at these optimum process conditions are analyzed for some of their properties as an alternative fuel.