Characterization of bio-oil from induction-heating pyrolysis of food-processing sewage sludges using chromatographic analysis

Bioresour Technol. 2009 May;100(9):2650-4. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2008.11.023. Epub 2009 Jan 10.

Abstract

In this study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze the pyrolytic bio-oils and gas fractions derived from the pyrolysis of industrial sewage sludges using induction-heating technique. The liquid products were obtained from the cryogenic condensation of the devolatilization fraction in a nitrogen atmosphere using a heating rate of 300 degrees C/min ranging from 25 to 500 degrees C. The analytical results showed that the pyrolysis bio-oils were very complex mixtures of organic compounds and contained a lot of nitrogenated and/or oxygenated compounds such as aliphatic hydrocarbons, phenols, pyridines, pyrroles, amines, ketones, and so on. These organic hydrocarbons containing nitrogen and/or oxygen should originate from the protein and nucleic acid textures of the microbial organisms present in the sewage sludge. The non-condensable devolatilization fractions were also composed of nitrogenated and oxygenated compounds, but contained small fractions of phenols, 1H-indoles, and fatty carboxylic acids. On the other hand, the compositions in the non-condensable gas products were principally carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane analyzed by gas chromatography-thermal conductivity detector (GC-TCD).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bioelectric Energy Sources
  • Conservation of Energy Resources
  • Food-Processing Industry*
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Gases / chemistry
  • Hot Temperature*
  • Industrial Waste*
  • Oils / chemistry*
  • Sewage / chemistry*

Substances

  • Gases
  • Industrial Waste
  • Oils
  • Sewage