Faculty Publications
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Item Understanding of synergy in non-isothermal microwave-assisted in-situ catalytic co-pyrolysis of rice husk and polystyrene waste mixtures(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Sridevi, V.; Suriapparao, D.V.; Tukarambai, M.; Terapalli, A.; Ramesh, R.; Sankar Rao, C.S.; Gautam, R.; Moorthy, J.V.; Suresh Kumar, C.Rice husk (RH) and polystyrene (PS) wastes were converted into value-added products using microwave-assisted catalytic co-pyrolysis. The graphite susceptor (10 g) along with KOH catalyst (5 g) was mixed with the feedstock to understand the products and energy consumption. RH promoted the char yield (20–34 wt%) and gaseous yields (16–25 wt%) whereas PS enhanced the oil yield (23–70 wt%). Co-pyrolysis synergy induced an increase in gaseous yields (14–53 wt%) due to excessive cracking. The specific microwave energy consumption dramatically decreased in co-pyrolysis (5–22 kJ/g) compared to pyrolysis (56–102 kJ/g). The pyrolysis index increased (17–445) with the increase in feedstock quantity (5–50 g). The obtained oil was composed of monoaromatics (74%) and polyaromatics (18%). The char was rich in carbon content (79.5 wt%) and the gases were composed of CO (24%), H2 (12%), and CH4 (22%). © 2022 Elsevier LtdItem Microwave-assisted in-situ catalytic pyrolysis of polystyrene: Analysis of product formation and energy consumption using machine learning approach(Institution of Chemical Engineers, 2022) Terapalli, A.; Kamireddi, D.; Sridevi, V.; Tukarambai, M.; Suriapparao, D.V.; Sankar Rao, C.S.; Gautam, R.; Modi, P.R.Microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis is a prominent technology for the production of high-quality fuel intermediates and value-added chemicals from polystyrene waste. The objectives of this study were to understand the role of catalyst (KOH) on polystyrene (PS) pyrolysis. Pyrolysis experiments were conducted using a microwave oven at a power of 450 W and a temperature of 600 °C. Graphite susceptor (10 g) was used to achieve the required pyrolysis conditions. In addition, the design of experiments (DoE) with machine learning (ML) was used to understand the loading of PS (5 g, 27.5 g, and 50 g), and KOH (5 g, 7.5 g, and 10 g). The products including oil, gas, and char were collected in every experiment. The average heating rates achieved were in the range of 30–50 °C/min. The specific microwave power (microwave power per unit mass of feedstock) decreased with an increase in PS amount from 90 to 9 W/g. However, the specific microwave energy (microwave energy per unit mass of feedstock) (27–73 kJ/g) was in line with the average heating rate. The maximum yield of pyrolysis oil was found to be 95 wt%, which was obtained with a PS:KOH ratio of 27.5 g: 7.5 g. The oil yield increased from 80 to 95 wt% when the mass of the catalyst increased from 5 to 7.5 g. On the other hand, the gas yield (3–18 wt%) varied significantly and char yield (1–2 wt%) was not influenced. The yields predicted by ML matched well with the experimental yields. This study demonstrated the potential of KOH as a catalyst for PS pyrolysis technology as the formation of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the oil fraction was significantly promoted. © 2022 The Institution of Chemical EngineersItem The role of solvent soaking and pretreatment temperature in microwave-assisted pyrolysis of waste tea powder: Analysis of products, synergy, pyrolysis index, and reaction mechanism(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Talib Hamzah, H.; Sridevi, V.; Seereddi, M.; Suriapparao, D.V.; Ramesh, R.; Sankar Rao, C.S.; Gautam, R.; Kaka, F.; Pritam, K.This study focuses on microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) of fresh waste tea powder and torrefied waste tea powder as feedstocks. Solvents including benzene, acetone, and ethanol were used for soaking feedstocks. The feedstock torrefaction temperature (at 150 °C) and solvents soaking enhanced the yields of char (44.2–59.8 wt%) and the oil (39.8–45.3 wt%) in MAP. Co-pyrolysis synergy induced an increase in the yield of gaseous products (4.7–20.1 wt%). The average heating rate varied in the range of 5–25 °C/min. The energy consumption in MAP of torrefied feedstock (1386 KJ) significantly decreased compared to fresh (3114 KJ). The pyrolysis index dramatically varied with the solvent soaking in the following order: ethanol (26.7) > benzene (25.6) > no solvent (10) > acetone (6). It shows that solvent soaking plays an important role in the pyrolysis process. The obtained bio-oil was composed of mono-aromatics, poly-aromatics, and oxygenated compounds. © 2022 Elsevier LtdItem A review on analysis of biochar produced from microwave-assisted pyrolysis of agricultural waste biomass(Elsevier B.V., 2023) Ramesh, R.; Surya, D.V.; Sankar Rao, C.S.; Yadav, A.; Sridevi, V.; Remya, N.Every year the agricultural product processing industries produce large quantities of agricultural waste biomass (AWB). Whose disposal has become a serious issue concerning solid waste management due to environmental and health issues. Microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) is an intriguing technology for producing valuable products from waste feedstocks. AWB is converted into a valuable product like biochar by using MAP. The conversion of AWB into biochar by MAP is influenced by several factors such as type of feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, residence time, pressure, heating rate, susceptor, particle size, and microwave power. However, no review article is available to understand the role of MAP on biochar production from AWB. The current review focused on understanding the fundamentals of biochar production. It also reviews the challenges in producing biochar process by compatible, acceptable, and sustainable and its future directions to gain economic benefits even at small-scale applications. The generation of biochar from MAP and its uses in agriculture are discussed. The current review would address the knowledge gap and highlight the critical implications in biochar production and applications. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.Item Synergistic effects and product yields in microwave-assisted in-situ co-pyrolysis of rice straw and paraffin wax(Institution of Chemical Engineers, 2024) Hamzah, H.T.; Sridevi, V.; Surya, D.V.; Ramesh, P.; Sankar Rao, C.; Palla, S.; Abdullah, T.A.Microwave-assisted pyrolysis is one of the most efficient methods for solid waste management. This study employed microwave-assisted catalytic co-pyrolysis to convert Paraffin wax (PW) and rice straw (RS) into valuable char, gas, and oil products. KOH and graphite were used as the catalyst and susceptor, respectively. The RS and PW blend served as the feedstock (with a blend ratio of 0–10 g). The yields of co-pyrolysis at different blending ratios of RS: PW exhibited variations in char content (ranging from 9.8% to 22.6% by wt.), oil production (ranging from 34.1% to 76.9% by wt.), and gas formation (ranging from 13.2% to 47.5% by wt.). The effects of the RS: PW ratio on the average heating rate, feedstock conversion, and product yields were also investigated. Analyses were performed to assess the synergistic impacts on product yields, average heating rates, and conversion factors. Notably, co-pyrolysis synergy led to increased oil and char production. Furthermore, we conducted FTIR analysis on the oil and char produced through the catalytic co-pyrolysis of RS: PW. In conjunction with co-pyrolysis synergy, the catalyst facilitated the formation of amides, alkenes, aliphatic compounds, and aromatic compounds. © 2023 The Institution of Chemical EngineersItem Effect of solvent pre-treatment on microwave assisted pyrolysis of Spirulina (Algal Biomass) and Ficus benghalensis (Lignocellulosic Biomass) for production of biofuels: comparative experimental studies(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Varma, J.V.; Sridevi, V.; Musalaiah, M.; King, P.; Hamzah, H.T.; Tanneru, H.K.; Ramesh, R.; Malleswari, G.B.The study focuses on the comparison of microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) of Spirulina, (algal biomass), and aerial roots of Ficus benghalensis (lignocellulosic biomass) as feedstocks for biofuel production. Solvent ethanol was used to pretreat feedstocks. The experiments were carried out using a microwave power of 450 W, considering both fresh and solvent-pretreated feedstocks. Solvent-pretreated Spirulina demonstrated a high bio-oil yield of 56.1 wt. % and a biochar yield of 13.5 wt. %, whereas for solvent-pretreated Ficus benghalensis, the corresponding yields were 35.4 wt. % and 12.3 wt.%. Both solvent-treated and fresh algal biomass feedstocks showed higher yields than lignocellulose biomass. Pre-treatment of feedstocks showed positive results on microwave energy consumption and pyrolysis index. The average heating values were 27.3 0C/min for pretreated Spirulina and 46.2 0C/min for pretreated Ficus benghalensis. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) characterized the obtained bio-oils and biochar. The FTIR results indicated the presence of distinctive functional groups such as N=C=O, O=C=O, N-O, and S=O in MAP of Spirulina bio-oil, and C=C and C-I stretching in MAP of Ficus benghalensis bio-oil. The FTIR results for biochar were consistent across both feedstocks, showing common functional groups such as C-Cl, C=C, C-H, O-H, C-F, and S=O. However, in the case of Spirulina, an extra functional group, C=N, was also detected. Pre-treatment of microalgal biomass is essential for the maximal recovery of biofuel precursors packed inside the complex microalgal cell wall. It was concluded that pre-treatment is an efficient way to improve the yield and composition of bio-oil with low microwave power and short microwave irradiation time. Efforts are still required to develop an economical and environmentally benign pre-treatment approach to facilitate 100% biomass conversion to added-value products. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.