Sukarni Sukarni, Indra Mamad Gandidi, Purnami Purnami, Ahmad Yusril Aminullah, Dendy Ary Nugroho, Tuan Amran Tuan Abdullah, Anwar Johari
The reliance on fossil fuels contributes significantly to CO2 emissions, leading to environmental degradation and energy insecurity. Renewable energy sources, such as microalgal and cyanobacterial biomass, offer a sustainable alternative. This study investigates the ex-situ catalytic pyrolysis of Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis (SP) using a fixed-bed reactor to evaluate the effects of activated carbon (AC), ginger ( Zingiber officinale , ZO), and NaOH as catalysts on product distribution and bio-oil properties. The resulting bio-oil was characterized based on density, viscosity, gross calorific value (GCV), functional groups, and compound composition. The catalytic mixture of the ACZO:NaOH(3:1) ratio yielded the highest bio-oil production (13.2%), with the highest hydrocarbon content of 91.98%, while also exhibiting the highest density (1032 kg/m3) and viscosity (9.755 × 10−5 m2/s). In contrast, the ACZO:NaOH (1:3) ratio produced the highest GCV bio-oil (37.547 MJ/kg) and the highest gas yield (64.25%). FTIR analysis revealed that bio-oil from the 1:3 ratio contained fewer O H functional groups, indicating a lower oxygenate content and supporting the higher GCV findings. These results highlight the potential of combining AC, ZO, and NaOH to optimize bio-oil quality and gas production from SP pyrolysis, offering valuable insights for future biomass-to-energy conversion processes. © 2026 The Authors.
Center for Renewable Fuels Research (CRFR), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia; Center of Advanced Materials for Renewable Energy (CAMRY), Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia; Energy and Bioprocess Technology Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, 40154, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia
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