A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ENERGY POTENTIALS OF SAWDUST, KRAFT LIGNIN AND BIO-OIL FROM FICUS EXASPERATA FOR BIOENERGY APPLICATION

The recent shift toward sustainable energy has brought about need for renewable biomass resources that possess high energy value for bioenergy production. Among these lignocellulosic products are sawdust, kraft lignin, and bio-oil which emerged and look promising. However, the difference in their thermal properties and energy value poses a challenge for efficient utilisation. The three energy materials were sourced as follows; sawdust was collected during wood conversion, Kraft lignin was precipitated and purified from black liquor after pulping while bio-oil was extracted during pyrolysis. The energy materials were subjected to parameter test using American Standard Test Methods for %volatile matter (VM), %ash content (AC), %fixed carbon (FC) while bomb calorimeter was used to test Calorific value. Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics. The findings shows that sawdust had the highest %volatile matter (82.89%), Kraft Lignin had the lowest %fixed crbon (9.00%) while Bio-oil had the lowest ash content and highest calorific value of 0.007% and 34.09 MJ/kg-1 respectively. Bio-oil demonstrated the highest energy potential with the greatest calorific value and lowest ash content, making it the most efficient among the tested energy materials. Despite sawdust's high volatile matter and Kraft Lignin's unique composition, their lower energy yields suggest limited standalone viability for optimal bioenergy production. KEYWORDS: Precipitation, calorific value, pyrolysis, biomass, purification