Krushna Prasad Shadangi

Characterization of nonconventional oil containing seeds towards the production of bio-fuel

This work presents the thermochemical characterization of some nonconventional oil containing seeds. The non-edible and less-edible oil seeds such as Mahua (Madhuca indica), Karanja (Pongamia pinnata), Niger (Hyoscyamus L. Niger), and Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) were characterized on the basis of their degradation profile, oil percentage, cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, and mineral content. TGA analysis confirmed that the active pyrolytic zone for all the seeds lies in the temperature range between 150 and 450 °C. It was observed that these seeds contain maximum percent of oil/extractives such as Mahua: 57.16%, Karanja: 53.19%, Niger: 39.75%, and Linseed: 33.55%. The result indicated that these seeds contains higher amount of celluloses than that of hemicelluloses and lignin. The elemental analysis confirmed that these types of biomasses are suitable for pyrolysis due to the presence of less sulphur, less moisture, and higher volatile matter content. The suitability as a feed for fuel production was ...

Effect of Co-pyrolysis of mahua seed and waste polystyrene on quality of liquid fuel

Mahua seed (Madhuca indica) was co-pyrolyzed with waste polystyrene (Thermocol) with an aim to increase the yield and fuel properties of the pyrolytic oil. Co-pyrolysis was carried out at a temperature of 525 °C in a semi-batch reactor. Co-pyrolysis experiments were performed by varying Mahua seed to waste polystyrene ratios such as 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, and 8:1. The condensed liquid product was collected as aqueous and oil phase. The fuel properties and composition of the co-pyrolytic oil were evaluated and compared with that of Mahua seed pyrolytic oil. The process was optimized on the basis of high energy content of the pyrolytic oil. The synergistic effect of waste polystyrene during co-pyrolysis with Mahua seed (at the ratio of 2:1) yielded high calorific value, low pH, and low viscous co-pyrolytic oil in comparison with seed pyrolytic oil. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of co-pyrolytic oil confirmed that the amount of esters increased during co-pyrolysis, which resulted in an increas...