Comparative Performance of Catalytic and Non-Catalytic Pyrolysis of Sugarcane Bagasse in Catatest Reactor System

Abstract Catalytic pyrolysis is a favourable process used to enhance the quality of bio-oil. Based on reviews from previous research there are only scarce of studies on the comparison of catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolysis of biomass such as rice husk, olive husk and corncob. In this study, sugarcane bagasse was selected as it has not been explored much yet. The target of this research is to compare the impact of catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse in terms of the yield, properties, and also the compositions of bio-oil. Catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolysis was executed in catatest bed reactor at temperatures 400°C to 550°C with the aids of ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst. Bio-oil from catalytic and no-catalytic pyrolysis which gives the maximum yield was used to be studied further in terms of the properties and chemical compositions. The result shows that the maximum yield of bio-oil was accomplished from catalytic pyrolysis at temperature 500°C which was 21.4%. The properties and composition of bio-oil from catalytic pyrolysis shows better result compare to non-catalytic pyrolysis.