Fast Pyrolysis of Sunflower-Pressed Bagasse: Effects of Sweeping Gas Flow Rate

Sunflower (Helianthus annus L.)-pressed bagasse pyrolysis experiments were performed in a fixed-bed tubular reactor. The effects of nitrogen flow rate and final pyrolysis temperature on the pyrolysis product yields and chemical compositions have been investigated. The maximum bio-oil yield of 52.85 wt% was obtained in a nitrogen atmosphere and a nitrogen flow rate of 50 cm³ min^-1 and at a pyrolysis temperature of 550°C and heating rate of 5°C s^-1. The chemical characterization has shown that the oil obtained from sunflower-pressed bagasse may be potentially valuable as fuel and chemical feedstocks.