A comparative study on kinetic and thermodynamic studies for pyrolysis of corn-cob with and without aluminium oxides catalyst using thermogravimetric analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT The utilization of corncob residues in pyrolysis offers a promising source for both renewable energy and chemical production. In this study, corncob was decomposed in the presence of aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3 NPs) catalyst using a fixed bed reactor under an inert atmosphere. Pyrolysis of corncob was carried out in the presence of Al2O3 NPs at different heating rates i.e. 5, 10, 15 and 20°C/min in an oxygen-free atmosphere using TGA technique. Kinetic and thermodynamic studies were performed using the best fit models including Ozawa–Flynn–Wall (OFW), Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) and Friedman methods. The average activation energies for Friedman, OFW, KAS were 177.3, 162.9 and 167.8 kJ/mol, respectively for pure corncob and 111.0, 102.5 and 118.06 kJ/mol, respectively for Al2O3-corncob sample. Activation energy was found to be the lowest in the OFW model. Results showed that the presence of Al2O3 NPs catalyst not only reduced pyrolysis temperature and activation energy but also improved the quality of bio-oil.