Catalytic solar pyrolysis of microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

•The effects of solar pyrolysis parameters on product distribution were investigated.•Equations to predict the products yields in the proposed solar pyrolyzer were obtained.•A condition that maximizes the liquid yield (57%) was identified and experimentally validated.•Hydrotalcite precursor catalyst...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Solar energy 2018-10, Vol.173, p.928-938
Main Authors: Andrade, L.A., Barrozo, M.A.S., Vieira, L.G.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Biomass
Biomass energy
Biomass energy production
Catalysis
Catalysts
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Energy
Evolutionary algorithms
Hydrocarbons
Hydrotalcite
Load distribution
Loading rate
Mathematical analysis
Microalgae
Mixed oxides
Nitrogen compounds
Optimization
Oxides
Pyrolysis
Reaction time
Response surface methodology
Solar energy
Solar pyrolysis
Yield
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•The effects of solar pyrolysis parameters on product distribution were investigated.•Equations to predict the products yields in the proposed solar pyrolyzer were obtained.•A condition that maximizes the liquid yield (57%) was identified and experimentally validated.•Hydrotalcite precursor catalyst improved the performance of the solar pyrolysis.•The catalyst pyrolysis acted to decrease nitrogen compounds and increase the hydrocarbons. Solar pyrolysis offers potential solution for harnessing the energy of the sun by the conversion of biomass energy into transportable and storable fuel. However, a number of undesirable components can be formed and an upgrade of bio-oil is necessary before it can be utilized as a fuel. In this work, a pyrolysis process using solar energy was studied for the production of bio-oil from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii microalgae. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the effects of biomass loading rate, reaction time, and percentage of hydrotalcite catalyst on the product distribution and liquid composition. Equations were proposed for predicting products yields as a function of the studied variables. Optimum conditions for maximum liquid yield (57%) were identified using the Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm. The optimal conditions for the liquid yield were 1.98 g, 9.9 min, and 22.88% for the biomass loading rate, reaction time and catalyst percentage, respectively. The mixed oxides derived from hydrotalcite, used as a catalyst, shown a good performance and acted to decrease the quantity of nitrogen compounds and increase the relative percentage of hydrocarbons.
ISSN:0038-092X
1471-1257
DOI:10.1016/j.solener.2018.08.035