Development of a Microwave-Assisted Bench Reactor for Biomass Pyrolysis Using Hybrid Heating

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) is a cutting-edge technology that converts biomass into fuels, chemicals, and materials. In this study, an Arduino was used to control and automate a MAP system built from a microwave oven with a cordierite chamber filled with silicon carbide. Sugar cane bagasse was pyrolyzed at 250, 350, 450, and 550 °C to validate the MAP system and obtain pyrolytic products with different yields and chemical compositions. Lower temperatures led to high biochar yields, but the highest surface area of 25.14 m² g^-1 was only achieved at 550 °C. By contrast, higher temperatures favored the recovery of pyrolysis liquids. BET and scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed a porous biochar structure, while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that the availability of functional groups on the biochar surface decreased with an increase in pyrolysis temperature. GC-MS analysis quantified valuable low molecular mass compounds in pyrolysis liquids, including aldehydes, ketones, phenols, and alcohols. With its unprecedented hybrid heating device, the MAP system promoted suitable heating rates (31.9 °C min^-1) and precise temperature control (only 19 °C of set point variation), generating pyrolysis products devoid of microwave susceptor interferences. Therefore, MAP provided a rapid, safe, and efficient means of depolymerizing biomass, thus holding promise for biorefinery applications.