Kinetics and thermodynamic parameters of palm empty fruit bunch pyrolysis promoted by calcium-rich wastes from coastal-marine residue

Abstract

Kinetics and thermodynamics of palm empty fruit bunch (PEFB) pyrolysis have been determined in the presence of catalyst from clam shell (Anadara sp.) (CS) using thermogravimetric analysis. PEFB pyrolysis occurred in three stages (moisture and volatile removal, cellulose and hemicellulose, and lignin decomposition), with maximum degradation occurring at 200–400 °C. Activation energy calculated using the iso-conversional method varied from 89.80 to 169.63 kJ/mol for Friedman, 66.25–119.79 kJ/mol for FWO, 53.33–96.44 kJ/mol for KAS, and 50.90–92.04 kJ/mol for Starink. Pre-exponential factor values ranged from 104–1017 and 104–1014 s−1 for non-catalytic and catalytic pyrolysis. The thermodynamic parameters values varied from 47.28 to 99.44 kJ/mol for enthalpy, from 98.23 to 151.62 kJ/mol for Gibbs free energy, and from −0.0858 to −0.0808 kJ/mol for entropy. The reaction mechanism is dominantly second-order and complex. The analysis revealed that PEFB and CaO catalyst from CS are efficient biomass and effective catalyst for bioenergy production.