Investigating the impact of heating rates on the kinetic and combustion dynamics of pyrolyzed agricultural biomass

Abstract

The efficient utilization of biomass as a renewable energy source is critical for sustainable development and environmental conservation. This study aims to explore the influence of heating rate and fuel type on the kinetics and combustion behavior of peanut shell (PS) and sugarcane bagasse (SC), along with their respective solid biofuels, PS400 and SC400. These biofuels were synthesized through pyrolysis at 400 °C for a duration of 2 h. Thermo-gravimetric analysis was employed to examine various combustion characteristics, including the combustion process, combustion index, and ignition index. Additionally, kinetic parameters for each sample were determined using the Coats-Redfern method. Our findings indicate that the raw biomass exhibits higher reactivity and a more significant combustibility index compared to the solid biofuels. Furthermore, these characteristics were observed to enhance with an increase in the heating rate. Regarding kinetic parameters, a decrease in activation energies was noted with an elevated heating rate for the biofuels. For the raw biomass, the activation energies diminished with an increased heating rate during the initial stage. However, during the second phase of the biomass analysis for both samples, the activation energies were found to escalate with the heating rate increment. These insights contribute significantly to the optimization of biomass utilization strategies, paving the way for more sustainable and efficient energy solutions. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.