Pyrolysis characteristics and kinetic parameters determination of biomass fuel powders by differential thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG)

The kinetics of the thermal decomposition of the two biomass materials (sugarcane bagasse and cotton stalks powders) were evaluated using a differential thermo-gravimetric analyzer under a non-isothermal condition. Two distinct reaction zones were observed for the two biomasses. The direct Arrhenius plot method and the integral method were applied for determination of kinetic parameters: activation energy, pre-exponential factor, and order of reaction. The weight loss curve showed that pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse and cotton stalks took place mainly in the range of 200–500 °C. The activation energy of the sugarcane bagasse powder obtained by the direct Arrhenius plot method ranged between 43 and 53.5 kJ/mol. On the other side, the integral method shows larger values of activation energy (77–87.7 kJ/mol). The activation energy of the cotton stalks powder obtained by the direct Arrhenius plot method was ranged between 98.5 and 100.2 kJ/mol, but the integral method shows larger values of activation energy (72.5–127.8 kJ/mol).