Thermogravimetric kinetic-based computation of raw and pretreated coconut husk powder lignocellulosic composition

Abstract

Lignocellulosic biomass is one of the potential sources for biofuel production. Coconut husk, one of the abundant lignocellulosic biomass in Indonesia, can be explored for such a process. This work evaluated compositions of raw and pretreated coconut husk powder using modeling and computation of thermogravimetry analysis data. Lignocellulose compositions and distributed activation energy model employing kinetic parameters were successfully obtained with the fit quality values of 0.1–0.35 %, and R-squared values (R2) equal 1. By this method, raw coconut husk powder was found to contain 30 % hemicellulose, 38.86 % cellulose, and 34.96 % lignin. The mean activation energy (E0) was 141–163, 173–181, and 200–230 kJ/mol for hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin respectively. Meanwhile, the standard deviation activation energy (σ) was 4.8–7.5, 1.76–3.75, and 19–28 kJ/mol for hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin respectively. The pre-exponential factor (A) values ranged from 1.20 × 1011 to 5.00 × 1013 s−1 where those of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin, respectively appeared in ascending order.