Abstract:
The issue of the energy crisis and environmental problems due to
waste encourage the formation of new fuels from renewable
materials such as palm kernel shell biomass (CKS). In other hand,
low rank coal (lignite) has low economic value, so it needs to be
improved to be used widely. Utilization of lignite and CKS can
produce solid products (char) in the form of hybrid coal through
the co-pyrolysis process. This study aims to determine the optimum
temperature and composition of co-pyrolysis lignite and CKS
based on the distribution of the resulting product. The lignite is
dried and pulverized to a particle size of 20-50 mesh. CKS cleaned,
cut into pieces and sieved to a size of 0.4-2 mm. Then the CKS was
dried in an oven at 105oC for 24 hours. Lignite and CKS were
mixed with a composition of 15%, 22.5%, and 30% by weight of
CKS:lignite. The mixture of materials is put into the co-pyrolysis
reactor as much as 200 grams. The co-pyrolysis process was
carried out at temperatures of 200ºC, 300ºC, and 400ºC for 1 hour
by flowing nitrogen gas into the reactor with a flow rate of 1.5
L/min. The results showed that increasing the mixing ratio of
CKS:lignite and co-pyrolysis temperature would increase tar yield
while decreasing char yield. Judging from the highest tar yield, the
optimum co-pyrolysis temperature was 400oC at 15% optimum
mixing ratio, while 200oC and 22.5% were optimum co-pyrolysis
temperatures and mixing ratio to obtain the largest char yield. Both
tar and char co-pyrolysis products can be an alternative energy
source with further processing.
