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.