Abstract:
The pyrolysis characteristics of four biomass materials (bamboo, Napier grass,
pine and peach pips) were studied in an inert atmosphere using a simultaneous
TGA-FTIR instrument. The behaviour of these materials under non-isothermal
conditions and at three different heating rates (20, 100 and 200 °C/min) were
compared. The gasses released during TGA analysis were analysed using inline
FTIR. Higher heating rates were found to increase conversion and had lower
activation energies. Napier grass has the lowest conversion which could be due
to the amount of silicon contained in most grasses. A distinguishable
hemicellulose decomposition peak was detected on the DTG curve of the peach
pips. Pine wood has the highest conversion (~88%) of the four biomass
materials. The mean conversion achieved for the other materials was
approximately 75%. The kinetic parameters of each material computed using a
model fitting method are reported. The dehydration stage in general displayed
lower activation energies than the active and passive pyrolysis stages.
