A new insight into fixed-bed catalytic pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse: optimization of process parameters and analysis of products

In order to determine their commercial viability, the current study concentrated on the process optimization and subsequent product distribution analyses (i.e., bio-oil, bio-char, and gas) connected with the fixed-bed catalytic pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse. This is the first study of its kind where calcium oxide (CaO) made from organic wastes (such as egg and sea shell) is being used as a catalyst during the pyrolysis reaction. The RSM optimization technique using Design-expert software validated the idea that reaction conditions such as moderate temperature (550 °C), size of biomass particles (within 0.42–0.70 mm), and nitrogen flow rate (40 mL/min) maximize the bio-oil yield, where the bio-char and gas yield could be maximized at reaction temperature of 400 °C and 600 °C respectively. There is a close agreement between theoretical model predicted and actual experimental responses under optimized reaction conditions with high regression coefficient (R²) of ~ 0.9930. Catalytic upgradation of all three pyrolysis products both studied via in situ and ex situ manner at optimized reaction conditions proven to be useful in terms of increasing calorific values and value addition for practical adaptability by minimal addition of CaO particles (3–10 wt. %).