Thermoanalytical study of inner and outer residue of coffee harvest

Abstract

The better use of agricultural residues is expected, when they are mostly disposed of improperly and it is often burned in the natural environment. This study of the thermal decomposition of residues was performed from the coffee crop for energy purposes and in this case was used thermal analysis techniques for such assessment. The TG/DTG and DSC curves showed that the thermal decomposition occurs in four consecutive events and it is predominantly exothermic. The first mass loss evidenced in TG/DTG curves has an endothermic peak in DSC curve, which it can be associated with the water liberation of the material. This first thermal event also can be related to the liberation of volatile compounds present in the sample, which is also corroborated by the endothermic peak. The other events of mass loss are related with the thermal decomposition of the material. This decomposition has an exothermic behavior, which is positively applied to the main aim of this scientific research: the coffee straw use like biomass energy font. The thermoanalytical techniques were satisfactory in the characterization of this material.