Thermal decomposition and kinetics of coal and fermented cornstalk using thermogravimetric analysis

Yuyuan He; Chun Chang; Pan Li; Xiuli Han; Hongliang Li; Shuqi Fang; Junying Chen; Xiaojian Ma

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2018.03.043

Thermal decomposition and kinetics of coal and fermented cornstalk using thermogravimetric analysis

Bioresour Technol. 2018 Jul:259:294-303. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.03.043. Epub 2018 Mar 15.

Authors

Yuyuan He¹, Chun Chang², Pan Li³, Xiuli Han³, Hongliang Li³, Shuqi Fang³, Junying Chen³, Xiaojian Ma⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical Engineering and Energy, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, PR China.
² School of Chemical Engineering and Energy, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, PR China; Henan Outstanding Foreign Scientists' Workroom, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, PR China. Electronic address: chunchang@zzu.edu.cn.
³ School of Chemical Engineering and Energy, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, PR China; Henan Outstanding Foreign Scientists' Workroom, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, PR China.
⁴ School of Chemical Engineering and Energy, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, PR China; Henan Outstanding Foreign Scientists' Workroom, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, PR China. Electronic address: maxj@zzu.edu.cn.

PMID: 29573608
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.03.043

Abstract

The thermal behavior and kinetics of Yiluo coal (YC) and the residues of fermented cornstalk (FC) were investigated in this study. The Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) methods were used for the kinetic analysis of the pyrolysis process. The results showed that the activation energy (E_α) was increased with the increase of the thermal conversion rate (α), and the average values of E_α of YC, FC and the blend (m_YC/m_FC = 6/4) were 304.26, 224.94 and 233.46 kJ/mol, respectively. The order reaction model function for the blend was also developed by the master-plots method. By comparing the E_a and the enthalpy, it was found that the blend was favored to format activated complex due to the lower potential energy barrier. Meanwhile, the average value of Gibbs free energy of the blend was 169.83 kJ/mol, and the changes of entropies indicated that the pyrolysis process was evolved from ordered-state to disordered-state.

Keywords: Co-pyrolysis; Coal; Fermented cornstalk; Kinetic model; Thermodynamics.

MeSH terms

Coal*
Kinetics
Thermodynamics
Thermogravimetry*

Substances

Coal