FTIR and Thermogravimetric Analysis of Three Kinds of Nutshells

Jinping Zhang,Xuebin Li,Yue Ying,Xiaohua Yao

doi:10.4236/nr.2018.98019

Abstract

The main components and pyrolysis characteristics of Camellia oleifera Abel hells, Castanea mollissima Blume shells, and Castanea mollissima Blume shells were analyzed by using FTIR and thermogravimetric methods. The experimental results indicated that the main components of the three kinds of raw materials consisted of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The highest contents of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin were in Camellia oleiferaAbel shells (49.34% ± 0.07%), Castanea mollissima Blume shells (27.34% ± 0.01%), and Carya cathayensis Sarg shells (49.78% ± 0.01%), respectively. The pyrolysis processes of three kinds of shells generally included three stages, namely dehydration, pyrolysis, and carbonization. The peak values and the appearance times of their pyrolysis rates were closely related to their compositions.

Highlights

China is a major producer of Camellia oleifera Abel (Figure 1(a)), Castanea mollissima Blume (Figure 1(b)), and hickory Carya cathayensis Sarg (Figure 1(c))
The highest contents of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin were in Camellia oleifera Abel shells (49.34% ± 0.07%), Castanea mollissima Blume shells (27.34% ± 0.01%), and Carya cathayensis Sarg shells (49.78% ± 0.01%), respectively
Shells are the major by-products of these three fruits processing, and the weights of Castanea mollissima Blume shells and Camellia oleifera Abel shells account for more than 60% of their fresh fruits [1] [2], and the weight of Carya cathayensis Sarg shells is more than 30% of its weight of fresh fruit [3]

Summary

Introduction

China is a major producer of Camellia oleifera Abel (Figure 1(a)), Castanea mollissima Blume (Figure 1(b)), and hickory Carya cathayensis Sarg (Figure 1(c)). Due to various issues such as difficulty in lignin degradation [7] or incomplete recycle technology, the shells are not utilized efficiently as a resource but treated as waste. These discarded shells are generally stacked or burned, which wastes resources and pollutes the ecological environment [3]

Methods

Results

Conclusion