Pyrolysis of wheat straw in a thermogravimetric analyzer: Effect of particle size and heating rate on devolatilization and estimation of global kinetics

Pyrolysis of wheat straw in a thermogravimetric analyzer: Effect of particle size and heating rate on devolatilization and estimation of global kinetics
Written by esba

The influence of different parameters such as particle size, the initial weight of the sample, and heating rate on the devolatilization of wheat straw particles have been studied using thermogravimetric analysis. In addition, the variations in proximate analysis with different particle sizes of wheat straw have also been investigated. Results show that the curves corresponding to the third stage of pyrolysis differ for variations in particle size, initial weight, and heating rate of the pyrolysis process. A devolatilization model with three parallel nth-order reactions has been considered to determine the global kinetic parameters using thermogravimetric data. The kinetic parameters such as activation energy (kJ/mol), frequency factor (1/min), and order of the reaction for the three stages considered in devolatilization model were E1=69, E2=78, E3=80; k01=2.57×1012, k02=3.97×107, k03=3.17×106; and n1=2.3, n2=0.65, n3=2.7, respectively. It was noted from the order of the reaction that the second stage of the pyrolysis curve corresponds to the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose, and the third stage to the lignin degradation.

Authors: Mani, Thilakavathi; Murugan, Pulikesi; Abedi, Jalal; Mahinpey, Nader; Aug 2010

Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263876210000614

About the author

esba

The European Straw Building Association is an independent European association, devoid of any profit making motive. The object of the Association is to promote and develop the use of straw, as a sustainable way of building in all the senses of the term “sustainable”: renewable, ecological, healthy, energy and climate efficient, social and economic.
The Association is a federation composed of organisations and people particularly concerned with the use of straw in buildings.