Thermogravimetric studies on the pyrolysis of biomass materials

• Main Author: Wong, Vangie C.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1999
• Subjects: Thermogravimetry; Thermal analysis; Pyrolysis; Biomass; Chemical Engineering
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/2053
• Institution: De La Salle University

In accordance with the thrust of the Philippine government towards a decreased or total elimination of the country's reliance on non-renewable energy sources, the utilization of energy from biomass materials presents itself as a timely option. Although biomass materials have already been tapped as a source of energy, albeit sparingly, its use has often been limited by inefficiency. Knowledge of the nature of biomass pyrolysis and its kinetics hopefully aids in harnessing its full energy potential.Thermal decomposition of four different types of biomass materials (tanguile sawdust, coffee hull, assorted sawdust, and sugarcane bagasse) were performed in a dynamic thermogravimetric analyzer, TGA under nitrogen atmosphere from room temperature to 873 K. Constant heating rates of 10, 20, and 50 K/min were employed to investigate their effect on the thermal behavior of biomass during pyrolysis. Resistance to heat and mass transfer was considered negligible due to the size of the particles used, which was less than 150 mesh. The weight of the samples used ranged from 2 to 5 milligrams. Kinetics of pyrolysis were derived from TGA results. Three different kinetic models were used to determine the activation energies and frequency factors of biomass pyrolysis. Results show that biomass decomposition takes place sequentially in the order of moisture, hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin.