Production and Characterization of Bio-Oil Produced from Ipomoea carnea Bio-Weed

Bio-energy is now emerging as a future source of energy. Pyrolysis is one of the main thermo-chemical processes that can provide a useful and valuable bio-fuel such as bio-oil and bio-char. Bio-oil was produced from an undesired bio-weed named Ipomoea carnea by thermal pyrolysis at a terminal temperature range from 350 to 600 °C with a heating rate of 10 °C/min. Maximum bio-oil yield (41.17 % of which 11.45 % is the oil phase) was obtained at a pyrolysis temperature of 550 °C. The oil obtained was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR; ¹H and ¹³C), and gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) which revealed the presence of various hydrocarbons and alcohols. The H/C molar ratio (1.49) of the bio-oil was found to be comparable with petroleum-derived diesel. However, the presence of oxygen (35.86 %) in the form of oxygenates especially organic acids make the bio-oil acidic, which needs to be upgraded to use in the current IC engine.