Pyrolysis kinetics and conversion of pomegranate peels into porous carbon

Abstract

AbstractPyrolysis is one of the most common, sustainable, and excellent environmental‐friendly method to evaluate the bio‐energy potential of different types of biomass wastes. Pomegranate peel is a well‐known low‐cost industrial waste. Thus, pomegranate peel's physicochemical properties were explored in detail, and a pyrolysis kinetic study and thermal behavior analysis were performed. Thermal degradation of biomass was investigated on different heating rates (5, 10, 15, and 20°C/min) by using TG‐DSC. To calculate the kinetic parameters (Ea, A), three different kinetic models were used, including the Flynn‐Wall‐Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger‐Akahira‐Sunose (KAS), and Starink methods. The average Ea values for FWO, KAS, and Starink methods are 85.2141, 80.37217, and 80.74315 kJ mol−1, respectively. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism and thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔG, and ΔS) were simulated and calculated to further comprehend the pyrolysis process. The residual carbon (char) obtained after the pyrolysis process was further characterized by SEM‐EDX and BET to quantify the morphology, surface area, and porosity. SEM results revealed that the residual carbon has a honey‐comb like porous structure, whereas BET analysis reflects that PP800 possesses the highest specific surface area (SSA) ~ 1288.97 m2 g−1 with an average pore diameter of 8.85 nm. Thus, it has enormous potential to be used as adsorbent and active electrode material in energy storage devices.