Improving of Pyrolysis Oil from Macroalgae <i>Cladophora glomerata</i> with HDPE Pyrolysis Oil

Abstract

The slow pyrolysis of macroalgae at moderate temperatures in the reactor used resulted in an oil with a slightly better calorific value than that of the literature, but the other properties were not convincing. Therefore, co-pyrolysis with HDPE offers a way out in this study. However, this did not improve the property profile as a fuel, as the co-pyrolysate was incombustible due to its high water content. Only a mixture of the pyrolysis oil from algae and of the HDPE wax from the initial pyrolysis of HDPE resulted in a diesel-like product: the density was from 807 kg m−3, the viscosity 3.39 mm2 s−1, the calorific value was 46 MJ kg−1, and the oxidation stability was 68 min. The isoparaffin index indicates only a low branching of the paraffins, and therefore a low research octane number of 80. The blend did not need any further stabilizing additives.

Keywords

• low-temperature slow pyrolysis
• HDPE
• macroalgae
• <i>Cladophora glomerata</i>
• blends