Application of 1D and 2D MFR reactor technology for the isolation of insecticidal and anti-microbial properties from pyrolysis bio-oils

Citation

Hossain, M.M., Scott, I.M., Berruti, F., Briens, C. (2016). Application of 1D and 2D MFR reactor technology for the isolation of insecticidal and anti-microbial properties from pyrolysis bio-oils. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B: Pesticides, Food Contaminants, and Agricultural Wastes, [online] 51(12), 860-867. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03601234.2016.1211908

Plain language summary

Valuable chemicals can be separated from agricultural residues by chemical or thermochemical processes. The application of pyrolysis has been demonstrated as an efficient means to produce a liquid with a high concentration of desired product. The objective of this study was to apply an insect and microorganism bioassay-guided approach to separate and isolate pesticidal compounds from bio-oil produced through biomass pyrolysis.This comparison between tobacco leaf, tomato plant, and spent coffee ground biomass bio-oil pesticidal activity determined that tobacco and tomato dried bio-oil collected in a 210C hot condenser from a 300–400C 2 dimension (2D) mechanically fluidized reactor (MFR) produced more than four times the insecticidal activity in terms of number of Colorado Potato Beetles killed compared to the tobacco and tomato-dried bio-oil collected from a 300–400C 1D MFR reactor. The process by which the biomass bio-oils are produced through 2D MFR and separated by condenser temperature shows promise for isolating pesticidal compounds from bio-oil mixture.

Abstract

Valuable chemicals can be separated from agricultural residues by chemical or thermochemical processes. The application of pyrolysis has already been demonstrated as an efficient means to produce a liquid with a high concentration of desired product. The objective of this study was to apply an insect and microorganism bioassay-guided approach to separate and isolate pesticidal compounds from bio-oil produced through biomass pyrolysis. Tobacco leaf (Nicotianata bacum), tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum), and spent coffee (Coffea arabica) grounds were pyrolyzed at 10°C/min from ambient to 565°C using the mechanically fluidized reactor (MFR). With one-dimensional (1D) MFR pyrolysis, the composition of the product vapors varied as the reactor temperature was raised allowing for the selection of the temperature range that corresponds to vapors with a high concentration of pesticidal properties. Further product separation was performed in a fractional condensation train, or 2D MFR pyrolysis, thus allowing for the separation of vapor components according to their condensation temperature. The 300–400°C tobacco and tomato bio-oil cuts from the 1D MFR showed the highest insecticidal and anti-microbial activity compared to the other bio-oil cuts. The 300–350 and 350–400°C bio-oil cuts produced by 2D MFR had the highest insecticidal activity when the bio-oil was collected from the 210°C condenser. The tobacco and tomato bio-oil had similar insecticidal activity (LC50 of 2.1 and 2.2 mg/mL) when the bio-oil was collected in the 210°C condenser from the 300–350°C reactor temperature gases. The 2D MFR does concentrate the pesticidal products compared to the 1D MFR and thus can reduce the need for further separation steps such as solvent extraction.

Publication date

2016-12-01

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