An Investigation of Pyrolysis Process to Improve Tobacco Crop Properties for Potential Alternative Fuels

Abstract

This study aims to utilize the remaining tobacco crop yields in order to generate a high economic value. The crop was usually used as conventional fuels which are directly burned inside furnaces or for residential usages, where they were even only burnt as a waste after harvesting. Even though, the remained waste of the tobacco harvest have the potential of becoming alternative fuels. In this study, the produced alternative fuels from the tobacco crop, both in the form of liquid and solid fuels, have a number of properties that are quite promising to the standards of fuel properties. The method to convert the tobacco for higher economic value was by pyrolysis. This study investigated tobacco crops which consisted of leaves and stems, both of which were pyrolyzed in order to measure their potentials. Pyrolysis was carried out at T = 350°C - 650°C to discover the most optimum product which can be produced. After being pyrolyzed, a number of very significant results were able to be obtained. The results showed that the heating value of tobacco plants yields after pyrolysis increased tremendously compared to the heating value of tobacco before pyrolysis. In the liquid yields, some properties of tar showed similarity in properties of several standard liquid fuels. The results showed that tar products’ properties: such as viscosity, flash point, density, and heating value are able to show properties equivalent to those of kerosene. For solid yields, besides having high heating value such as coal, it can also be used as smart material because it has the high quality carbon specifications that may need further processing which turns them into activated carbon.