Influence of Selected Parameters on the Product Yields of Broom Weed (Sida acuta) Pyrolysis

Biomass feedstocks have been utilized for the commercial production of a wide range of fuels and chemicals through the pyrolysis process. Broom weed is abundant but it has not been widely used in Nigeria as a means of useful fuel and chemical thereby constituting an environmental menace. This study aimed to determine the effects of selected process parameters on the product yields during the pyrolysis of broom weed in a fixed bed reactor. Broom weed was obtained at the premises of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. 0.1kg of a dried sample of broom weed was loaded into a steel retort, and the retort interior was rendered airtight. The retort was then placed into the furnace chamber and was pyrolysed at 300oC between 10 - 30 minutes at 5 minutes intervals. This was repeated for temperatures of 350, 400, 450, and 500 oC, and in each case, the quantities of char, bio-oil, and gas produced were determined. The average minimum values of the product yielded char, bio-oil, and gas for broom weed were 62.43 wt% at 500 ⁰C, 4.34 wt% at 300 ⁰C and 12.62 wt% at 300 ⁰C, respectively, while the maximum values were 83.37 wt% at 300 ⁰C, 8.80 wt% at 450 ⁰C and 30.96 wt% at 500 ⁰C, respectively. This study showed that pyrolysis of broom weed can serve as a renewable source of energy rather than constituting an environmental menace.