Thermo-chemical conversion of mango seed kernel and shell to value added products

- Pyrolysis of Mango seed kernel (MSK) and shell (MSS) was studied.
- Maximum yield of pyrolytic liquid obtained at 823 K for MSK and 848 K for MSS.
- The yield of pyrolytic liquid was 32.37% and 52.57% for MSK and MSS respectively.
- MSS pyrolytic liquid contains about 27.63% d-allose, a rare aldohexose sugar.
- MSK pyrolytic liquid contains approximately 13.27% Levoglucosan.

Mango (Mangifera indica) is one of the popular fruits in India and many other tropical countries also. Mango seed weight is 30 − 45% of the total fruit weight which completely goes off as waste. In this study, Mango seed kernel (MSK) and Mango seed shell (MSS) were selected as a feed for pyrolysis for the production of bio-chemicals. Conventional pyrolysis of MSK and MSS was carried out in the range between 673 to 873 K temperatures at a heating rate of 25 K min−1. The optimum temperature for maximum yield of pyrolytic liquid was 823 K and 848 K for MSK and MSS with the corresponding yield of pyrolytic liquid of about 32.37% and 52.57% respectively. The composition analysis of MSK and MSS pyrolytic liquid revealed the presence of various valuable chemicals. It was noticed that MSS pyrolytic liquid contains about 27.63% d-allose, which is a rare sugar, whereas MSK contains 13.27% of levoglucosan along with furfural, furan, alcohol, aldehyde, benzene and various alkanes.

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