Comparative Study of Production of Bio-fuel from Mango Seed Kernel Using Pyrolysis and Chemical Conversion Processes

Abstract

The conversion of mango seed kernel into biofuel was performed through thermal pyrolysis and chemical transesterification process in this present study. The research also involved a comparative analysis of product yield and physico-chemical properties of the resulting biofuel. The pyrolysis experiment was performed in a 22 cm length and 15 cm diameter fixed bed external heating reactor at a temperature ranging from 150 – 350°C using a full-size sample. The major components of the experimental setup included a furnace, fixed-bed external heating reactor, water-cooled condenser, K-type thermocouples, and collectors for liquid and char. Instead of electricity, low-grade waste biomass was used for heating. This process achieved a maximum biofuel yield of 30.18 wt.%. For the chemical process, initially vegetable oil was extracted through a solvent extraction method, mixing the samples in a 1:2 ratio with hexane and stirring the mixture at a temperature between 25 – 50°C for a duration of 3 – 12 hours, resulting in a 17.3 wt.% yield of vegetable oil. After that, the obtained vegetable oil was transesterified using potassium hydroxide as a catalyst at 60°C for 1 – 1.5 hours. A maximum of 75 – 80 wt.% of extracted vegetable oil was converted into biofuel. The produced biofuels were evaluated for their suitability as alternative fuels by analyzing their physico-chemical properties including viscosity, density, pour point, flash point, and gross calorific value.