Thermal and catalytic slow pyrolysis of Calophyllum inophyllum fruit shell

•Thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of Calophyllum inophyllum shell was performed.•Kaolin and zeolite catalysts produced max pyrolytic oil yield of 45%wt.•Zeolite catalyst improved the calorific value of pyrolytic oil by 8.7%.•pH value increased from 3.21 to 3.93 in zeolite catalytic pyrolysis.•Calophyllum inophyllum shell is a potential alternate green energy source. Pyrolysis of Calophyllum inophyllum shell was performed in a fixed bed pyrolyser to produce pyrolytic oil. Both thermal (without catalysts) and catalytic pyrolysis process were conducted to investigate the effect of catalysts on pyrolysis yield and pyrolysis oil characteristics. The yield of pyrolytic oil through thermal pyrolysis was maximum (41%wt) at 425°C for particle size of 1.18mm and heating rate of 40°C/min. In catalytic pyrolysis the pyrolytic oil yield was maximum (45%wt) with both zeolite and kaolin catalysts followed by Al2O3 catalyst (44%wt). The functional groups and chemical components present in the pyrolytic oil are identified by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) techniques. This study found that C. inophyllum shell is a potential new green energy source and that the catalytic pyrolysis process using zeolite catalyst improves the calorific value and acidity of the pyrolytic oil.