Characterization of non-edible lignocellulosic biomass in terms of their candidacy towards alternative renewable fuels

Lignocellulosic biomass off late are considered as potential feedstock for biofuel production to meet the world energy demand. For designing the process to convert biomass into an alternative source of energy, it is essential to determine the characteristics of these lignocellulosic biomass. The aim of the present study is to determine the physicochemical characterization of selected non-edible and waste lignocellulosic biomass and utilization of these biomass in the best possible way for the production of fuels and chemicals. Physical and chemical characterization of lignocellulosic and waste biomass were carried out by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), heating value, crystallinity index, CHNS/O analysis, FTIR, compositional analysis, EDX analysis, and extractives analysis. Further, XRF analysis was used to confirm the presence of inorganic elements in ash. TGA confirmed that maximum degradation (active pyrolytic zone) of these biomass occurred in the temperature range of 200–500 °C. These biomass were further characterized by finding out the structural constituents along with oil percentage and amount of mineral matters. The physical analysis confirmed that these biomass are suitable feedstock for pyrolysis due to the presence of lower amount of sulfur, nitrogen, moisture, and ash and higher amount of volatile matters. A higher percentage of extractives (30–57%) further reaffirmed that all these seeds could be utilized for producing fuels and valuable chemicals.