The aim of the current study is to investigate the feasibility of thermo-chemical conversion of rice husk in hot-compressed water via ultrasonic pretreatment to increase the bio-oil yield. The results show that ultrasonic pretreatment remarkably changes the structures of the rice husk, such as enhancing swelling and surface area, eroding lignin structure, and resulting in more exposure of the cellulose and hemicellulose. The highest bio-oil yield of 42.8% was obtained from the thermo-chemical conversion at 300 °C and 0 min of the residence time for the 1 h pretreated rice husk. GC-MS analysis indicates that the relative contents of phenols, 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural, and lactic acid are higher in bio-oils obtained from the pretreated rice husks than that from the raw rice husk.
Keywords: Bio-oil; Hot-compressed water; Rice husk; Thermo-chemical conversion; Ultrasonic pretreatment.
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