Pyrolysis of corn stalk biomass briquettes in a scaled-up microwave technology.

Pyrolysis of corn stalk biomass briquettes was carried out in a developed microwave (MW) reactor supplied with 2.45 GHz frequency using 3 kW power generator. MW power and biomass loading were the key parameters investigated in this study. Highest bio-oil, biochar, and gas yield of 19.6%, 41.1%, and 54.0% was achieved at different process condition. In terms of quality, biochar exhibited good heating value (32 MJ/kg) than bio-oil (2.47 MJ/kg). Bio-oil was also characterised chemically using FTIR and GC–MS method. This work may open new dimension towards development of large-scale MW pyrolysis technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]