Comparative study of the products from the pyrolysis of raw and hydrolyzed baru wastes

Plant biomass is a complex mixture formed mainly by cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, being of great importance as a source of renewable assets of great interest to industries, due to millions of tons/year of wastes produced and their great potential to yield a wide range of high added-value products. In this study, processes and physicochemical characterizations were developed for baru wastes (mesocarp and endocarp). This biomass was subjected to acid hydrolysis and slow pyrolysis steps in order to yield biobased products, among them bio-oil (> 28%) and biochar (> 48%). Analytical techniques such as mid-infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, surface area and pore size, thermal analysis, and proximate and elemental analysis, helped in the elucidation, identification, and quantification of such compounds. Based on these results, it was possible to conclude that baru wastes have potential for application in several branches of industry, since compounds like vanillin (3.2%), syringol (9%), guaiacol (29%), creosol (22%), and palmitic (32%), and levulinic (4%) acids were found in significant amounts. Graphical abstract Bio-oil and biochar with high yields were obtained after the hydrolysis and pyrolysis processes.