Pyrolysis of hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) sawdust: Characterization of bio-oil and bio-char

•Slow pyrolysis of hornbeam sawdust residues was performed in a fixed-bed reactor.•Bio-oil and bio-char were characterized with the various techniques.•Both bio-oil and bio-char could be used as bioenergy sources.•The HHV of bio-char reached the maximum value of 32.88MJkg−1. Slow pyrolysis of hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) sawdust was performed to produce bio-oil and bio-char. The operational variables were as follows: pyrolysis temperature (400–600°C), heating rate (10–50°Cmin−1) and nitrogen flow rate (50–150cm3min−1). Physicochemical and thermogravimetric characterizations of hornbeam sawdust were performed. The characteristics of bio-oil and bio-char were analyzed on the basis of various spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques such as FTIR, GC–MS, 1H NMR, SEM, BET. Higher heating value, density and kinematic viscosity of the bio-oil with maximum yield of 35.28% were 23.22MJkg−1, 1289kgm−3 and 0.6mm2s−1, respectively. The bio-oil with relatively high fuel potential can be obtained from the pyrolysis of the hornbeam sawdust and the bio-char with a calorific value of 32.88MJkg−1 is a promising candidate for solid fuel applications that also contributes to the preservation of the environment.