Corncob Residue Research Articles

Comparison of fibers obtained from industrial corncob residue by two delignification methods and their application in papermaking

Abstract In this study, two methods were used to extract fibers from industrial corncob residue. The extracted fibers were compared with different characterization methods such as Zeta potential, FAS-VII fiber analysis system, GPC and XRD. The average length and width of the fibers treated by NaOH/H2O2 were 80 µm and 10 µm. The molecular weight was 17653, and the crystallinity was 49.9 %. Correspondingly, the average length and width of fibers treated with CH3COOH/NaClO2 were 100 μm and 10 µm. The molecular weight was 18810, and the crystallinity was 61.9 %. Then, they were modified to prepare carboxymethyl cellulose, which was used to improve the physical properties of paper, the result indicated that both of the carboxymethyl cellulose had good effect. Under optimal experimental conditions, the folding endurance, tensile index, burst index of the handsheets were increased by 37.38 %, 28.78 %, and 28.8 %, respectively. SEM results showed that the addition of carboxymethyl cellulose made the fibers stick closely, which improving the paper properties.

Gibberellic Acid Production from Corn Cob Residues via Fermentation with Aspergillus niger

Following numerous biotechnological innovations, a variety of agricultural by-products can now be employed as low-cost substrates for the production of secondary metabolites, such as antibiotics, phytohormones, biofuels, pesticides, and organic acids. As an example, gibberellin (GA) growth phytohormones can be obtained by such means, wherein gibberellic acid (GA3) is of great interest worldwide in the agricultural sector. The central aspect of this research therefore focused on the bioconversion of agricultural by-products, such as corn cob, to obtain GA3 phytohormone via solid-state fermentation (SSF) with Aspergillus niger. The chemical characterization of the obtained material showed that the corn cob possessed glucose, mannose, arabinose, and lignin contents of 34, 26, 8, and 16%, respectively. Our results also indicated an appreciable carbon content (47%), in addition to the mineral elements of nitrogen (4%), potassium (1.2%), iron (0.03%), sodium (0.01%), calcium (0.06%), and Al (0.02%). Following SSF for 11 d in the presence of A. niger at pH 5, 30°C, and 24% sample consistency, a GA3 production of >6.1 g·kg−1 was obtained. This value is higher than those previously reported for different by-products of the food industry, such as coffee husk, wheat bran, cassava, pea pods, and sorghum straw (i.e., 0.25–5.5 g·kg−1) following SSF. The production of GA3 from corn cob residues not only contributes to reducing the negative impact of agricultural by-products but also represents a new source of a key raw material for phytohormone production, thereby contributing to the development of processes to convert agricultural residues into biologically active compounds of commercial interest.

High conversion of xylose to furfural over corncob residue-based solid acid catalyst in water-methyl isobutyl ketone

In order to improve the high-value utilization of raw materials in furfural production, a solid acid catalyst based on corncob residue (S-IRCC) was synthesized using the method of impregnation–carbonization–sulfonation. The impregnation of FeCl3 makes S-IRCC exhibit excellent surface area and catalytic activity, and S-IRCC possessing -COOH, phenolic -OH, and -SO3H groups. The effects of reaction conditions on furfural yield, xylose concentration, and furfural selectivity were investigated. It was found that the addition of NaCl would improve furfural yield in water- methyl isobutyl ketone system. Optimal furfural yield (73.64%) and selectivity (74.2%) were obtained for 1:1 xylose/catalyst ratio (w/w) at 190 °C for 60 min in 1:2 water–methyl isobutyl ketone (v/v) with 60 g/L NaCl. In addition, with the regeneration, the catalyst activity is easily restored to its original level. Hence, bio-carbon-based catalyst shows potential application value in furfural production and biomass utilization.

The preparation of carboxymethyl cellulose from corncob residue and its effects on paper properties

In this study, corncob residue was treated in advance with different three methods in order to remove lignin. The treated fibers were characterized using Zeta potential, WRV, and FAS-VII fiber analysis methods. The lignin removal rates of the corncob residue treated with sodium hypochlorite were determined to reach up to 92.81%. The average fiber length was 0.65 mm, and the average width was 34.11 µm. In addition, the obtained cellulose was modified by carboxymethylation to prepare carboxymethyl cellulose. The results indicated that the carboxymethyl cellulose obtained from the corncob residue could significantly improve the properties of paper. For example, when 1% carboxymethyl cellulose was added, the burst index, tensile index, folding endurance, and tear index of the experimental paper were improved by 16.7%, 27.65%, 57.3%, and 18.2%, respectively, compared with the control. The results of this study’s SEM analysis showed that the addition of carboxymethyl cellulose from corncob residue resulted in the fibers becoming more tightly combined, which in turn led to the improvement of paper strength properties.

Incorporation of metallic particles in activated carbon used in lipase immobilization for production of isoamyl acetate

AbstractBACKGROUNDBiotechnology has revolutionized the use of enzymes for application in industrial processes. The present work evaluated the effect of functionalizing activated carbon with metallic nanoparticles obtained from corn cob residue on lipase immobilization. The aim was to improve the enzymatic activity of the immobilized enzyme and subsequent application of derivatives in the synthesis of isoamyl acetate ester (banana flavor).RESULTSThe activated carbon (CCAC) had a mesoporous structure and specific surface area of 1135 m2 g−1, characteristic of supports from precursor material with a high cellulose content, which was reduced in metalized carbon (CCACM) due to the insertion of metallic particles (760 m2 g−1). CCACM showed a slightly higher lipase absorptive capacity than CCAC (280.72 ± 0.27 mg g−1 and 276.46 ± 0.03 mg g−1, respectively). Furthermore, for derivatives the optimal reaction medium conditions were pH 7.0 and 30 °C, confirming the advantage associated with lipase immobilization, obtaining activity values of 84.0 ± 2.12 U, 72.3 ± 1.7 U and 31.4 ± 1.9 U, for lipase immobilized on CCACM, CCAC and native form, respectively. The derivatives showed potential application in the synthesis of isoamyl acetate ester, with conversions above 90% and stability during five cycles of use.CONCLUSIONThe activated carbon metallization process showed an increase in lipase immobilization efficiency and proved to be a promising support, since there was an increase in its enzymatic activity and the derivatives obtained showed potential application in aroma synthesis, reaching conversion above 90%. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Urea assisted pyrolysis of corn cob residue for the production of functional bio-oil

Corn cob (CC) biomass nitrogen-enriched pyrolysis was carried out in a fixed bed with urea atmosphere at 300–600 °C, and formation mechanism of N-containing species was explored in depth. Results showed that urea assist pyrolysis greatly increased bio-oil and gas yields. H2 yield increased sharply to (19.3 vol%) and became the main composition at higher temperature, while CH4 and CO yield deceased, and the lower heating value of gas reached. For bio-oil, the content of phenols (main compositions) and N-containing species increased significantly, and the maximums reached 47.6% and 23.7%, respectively. While that of acetic acid, O-containing species (aldehydes/ketones/furans/esters) and aromatics decreased largely accordingly. For biochar, nitrogen content increased. The introduction of ammonia source can achieve the transformation of carbonyl compounds to nitrogen containing compounds. Possible reaction pathways of biomass N-enriched pyrolysis were proposed based on products evolution. In conclusion, biomass N-enriched pyrolysis could obtain high-valued N-containing chemical species and functional bio-char.

Development of a powerful synthetic hybrid promoter to improve the cellulase system of Trichoderma reesei for efficient saccharification of corncob residues

BackgroundThe filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei is a widely used workhorse for cellulase production in industry due to its prominent secretion capacity of extracellular cellulolytic enzymes. However, some key components are not always sufficient in this cellulase cocktail, making the conversion of cellulose-based biomass costly on the industrial scale. Development of strong and efficient promoters would enable cellulase cocktail to be optimized for bioconversion of biomass.ResultsIn this study, a synthetic hybrid promoter was constructed and applied to optimize the cellulolytic system of T. reesei for efficient saccharification towards corncob residues. Firstly, a series of 5’ truncated promoters in different lengths were established based on the strong constitutive promoter Pcdna1. The strongest promoter amongst them was Pcdna1-3 (− 640 to − 1 bp upstream of the translation initiation codon ATG), exhibiting a 1.4-fold higher activity than that of the native cdna1 promoter. Meanwhile, the activation region (− 821 to − 622 bp upstream of the translation initiation codon ATG and devoid of the Cre1-binding sites) of the strong inducible promoter Pcbh1 was cloned and identified to be an amplifier in initiating gene expression. Finally, this activation region was fused to the strongest promoter Pcdna1-3, generating the novel synthetic hybrid promoter Pcc. This engineered promoter Pcc drove strong gene expression by displaying 1.6- and 1.8-fold stronger fluorescence intensity than Pcbh1 and Pcdna1 under the inducible condition using egfp as the reporter gene, respectively. Furthermore, Pcc was applied to overexpress the Aspergillus niger β-glucosidase BGLA coding gene bglA and the native endoglucanase EG2 coding gene eg2, achieving 43.5-fold BGL activity and 1.2-fold EG activity increase, respectively. Ultimately, to overcome the defects of the native cellulase system in T. reesei, the bglA and eg2 were co-overexpressed under the control of Pcc promoter. The bglA-eg2 double expression strain QPEB70 exhibited a 178% increase in total cellulase activity, whose cellulase system displayed 2.3- and 2.4-fold higher saccharification efficiency towards acid-pretreated and delignified corncob residues than the parental strain, respectively.ConclusionsThe synthetic hybrid promoter Pcc was generated and employed to improve the cellulase system of T. reesei by expressing specific components. Therefore, construction of synthetic hybrid promoters would allow particular cellulase genes to be expressed at desired levels, which is a viable strategy to optimize the cellulolytic enzyme system for efficient biomass bioconversion.

Corncob residue as heterogeneous acid catalyst for green synthesis of biodiesel: A short review

The utilization of an appropriate catalyst in biodiesel production depends on the free fatty acid content of vegetable oil as a feedstock. Recently, heterogeneous acid catalysts are widely chosen for biodiesel production. However, these catalysts are non-renewable, highly expensive and low stability. Due to the aforementioned drawbacks of commercial heterogeneous acid catalyst, a number of efforts have been made to develop renewable green solid acid catalysts derived from biomass. Published literature revealed that the application of the biomass derived solid acid catalysts can achieve up to 98% yield of biodiesel. This article focused on corncob as raw material in solid acid catalyst preparation for biodiesel production. The efficient preparation method and performance comparation are discussed here. The corncob derived heterogeneous acid catalysts provides an environmentally friendly and green synthesis for biodiesel production.

Metal-organic framework promoting high-solids enzymatic hydrolysis of untreated corncob residues

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could serve as efficient matrixes to immobilize cellulase because of their high stability and porous morphology. Herein, the Zr-based MOFs (UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH2) assisted 20 wt% high-solids hydrolysis of untreated corncob residues (CRs) at low enzyme loading was investigated. Glucan hydrolysis yields increased to 60.55% and 71.47% by separately adding 4 g/L UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH2 at 5 FPU/g-glucan cellulase dosage. The maximum hydrolysis yield reached 90.01% at 10 FPU/g-glucan in the presence of 4 g/L UiO-66-NH2. Analysis of free protein concentration and cellulase activity suggested that MOFs effectively increased cellulase catalytic activity and stability, thus boosted CRs enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. Additionally, UiO-66-NH2 immobilization gave a high catalytic activity because of the abundant anchor sites of NH2 groups. This research presents the promising future of MOFs’ application in lignocellulosic biomass bioconversion and other areas requiring immobilized enzymes.

Sustainable and Superhydrophobic Lignocellulose-Based Transparent Films with Efficient Light Management and Self-Cleaning.

Light-management (LM) films that can regulate transmitted light are significant to diverse fields, such as optoelectronics and energy-efficient buildings. However, for conventional LM films made from petroleum-based polymers, the nonbiodegradability and complicated fabrication process remain a challenge. Herein, we prepare sustainable lignocellulose-based films with excellent light-management capability by facile dissolution and regeneration of wood pulp and the corncob residue from xylitol production (CRXP). The obtained films exhibit high transparency (78%), high haze (61%), and especially remarkable UV-blocking performance (99.94% for UVB and 98.04% for UVA). They achieve consistent indoor light distribution and UV radiation shielding by light management for the application of smart buildings. Furthermore, by spray-coating with SiO2 nanoparticles to construct hierarchical networks, the films are endowed with a superhydrophobic surface with a self-cleaning function to mitigate dust accumulation. Our work provides novel insights into the conversion of lignocellulosic waste to desirable and sustainable functional materials.

Two-step acetic acid/sodium acetate and xylanase hydrolysis for xylooligosaccharides production from corncob

At present, xylooligosaccharides (XOS) from corncob using acid-base conjugate system has not been reported. In this study, XOS production from corncob by two-step acetic acid/sodium acetate (AC/SA) conjugate system hydrolysis and xylanase hydrolysis was optimized, and monosaccharides were subsequently produced from corncob residues by cellulase hydrolysis. The XOS of 19.9 g/L was obtained from corncob (10%, w/v) using 0.15 M AC/SA hydrolysis at a molar ratio of 3.0 at 170 °C for 60 min, followed by xylanase hydrolysis. The second-step AC/SA hydrolysis of hydrolyzed corncob (10%, w/v) produced 3.1 g/L of XOS. Finally, the maximum XOS yield of 74.8% (based on xylan in corncob) was achieved, which is the highest yield among yields reported previously. The purity of XOS was high, whereas the contents of by-products were very low. This work presents a novel and promising strategy for co-production of XOS and monosaccharides from corncob without xylan isolation and purification.

Cellulose induced protein 1 (Cip1) from Trichoderma reesei enhances the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulose

BackgroundTrichoderma reesei is currently the main strain for the commercial production of cellulase. Cellulose induced protein 1 (Cip1) is one of the most abundant proteins in extracellular proteins of T. reesei. Reported literatures about Cip1 mainly focused on the regulation of Cip1 and its possible enzyme activities, but the effect of Cip1 on the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose and possible mechanism have not still been reported.ResultsIn this study, Cip1 from T. reesei was cloned, expressed and purified, and its effects on enzymatic hydrolysis of several different pretreated lignocellulose were investigated. It was found that Cip1 could promote the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulose, and the promoting effect was significantly better than that of bovine serum albumin (BSA). And especially for the lignocellulosic substrate with high lignin content such as liquid hot water pretreated corn stover and corncob residue, the promoting effect of Cip1 was even better than that of the commercial cellulase when adding equal amount protein. It was also showed that the metal ions Zn2+ and Cu2+ influenced the promoting effect on enzymatic hydrolysis. The Cip1 protein had no lyase activity, but it could destroy the crystal structure of cellulose and reduce the non-productive adsorption of cellulase on lignin, which partly interpreted the promoting effect of Cip1 on enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose.ConclusionThe Cip1 from T. reesei could significantly promote the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulose, and the promotion of Cip1 was even higher than that of commercial cellulase in the enzymatic hydrolysis of the substrates with high lignin content. This study will help us to better optimize cellulase to improve its ability to degrade lignocellulose, thereby reducing the cost of enzymes required for enzymatic hydrolysis.

Biodegradable and transparent films with tunable UV-blocking property from Lignocellulosic waste by a top-down approach

As over exposure of the earth to ultraviolet (UV) light and increased amount of petroleum-based plastic waste, biodegradable UV-blocking materials are desired for diverse sustainable applications. The corncob residue from xylitol production (CRXP), as a kind of lignocellulosic waste, is mainly composed of cellulose and lignin. Here, we developed a series of CRXP films through a top-down approach (i.e., tunable delignification and regeneration) without any additional additives. Regenerated films, prepared from treated CRXP with lignin contents of 4.4%–29.7%, had excellent UV-blocking capability: 68.6–99.2% for UVB (290–320 nm) and 47.1–98.2% for UVA (320–400 nm). Moreover, these films showed high optical transparency (50.6–86.6%), enhanced water vapor barrier property (2.17–2.76 × 10–11 g cm cm−2 s−1 mmHg−1), great surface hydrophobicity (water contact angle = 73.3°–86.6°), and good thermal stability. Overall, our sustainable UV-blocking films based on CRXP have potential applications in the fields of electronics, food packaging, windshields, and so forth. This study provides new insights into converting lignocellulosic waste directly to high value-added functional bioproducts.

Production of xylitol by Saccharomycescerevisiae using waste xylose mother liquor and corncob residues.

SummaryExorbitant outputs of waste xylose mother liquor (WXML) and corncob residue from commercial‐scale production of xylitol create environmental problems. To reduce the wastes, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain tolerant to WXML was conferred with abilities to express the genes of xylose reductase, a xylose‐specific transporter and enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway. This strain showed a high capacity to produce xylitol from xylose in WXML with glucose as a co‐substrate. Additionally, a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process was designed to use corncob residues and cellulase instead of directly adding glucose as a co‐substrate. Xylitol titer and the productivity were, respectively, 91.0 g l‐1 and 1.26 ± 0.01 g l‐1 h‐1 using 20% WXML, 55 g DCW l‐1 delignified corncob residues and 11.8 FPU gcellulose ‐1 cellulase at 35° during fermentation. This work demonstrates the promising strategy of SSF to exploit waste products to xylitol fermentation process.

Bioethanol Production from Cellulose-Rich Corncob Residue by the Thermotolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae TC-5.

This study aimed to select thermotolerant yeast for bioethanol production from cellulose-rich corncob (CRC) residue. An effective yeast strain was identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae TC-5. Bioethanol production from CRC residue via separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF), simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), and prehydrolysis-SSF (pre-SSF) using this strain were examined at 35–42 °C compared with the use of commercial S. cerevisiae. Temperatures up to 40 °C did not affect ethanol production by TC-5. The ethanol concentration obtained via the commercial S. cerevisiae decreased with increasing temperatures. The highest bioethanol concentrations obtained via SHF, SSF, and pre-SSF at 35–40 °C of strain TC-5 were not significantly different (20.13–21.64 g/L). The SSF process, with the highest ethanol productivity (0.291 g/L/h), was chosen to study the effect of solid loading at 40 °C. A CRC level of 12.5% (w/v) via fed-batch SSF resulted in the highest ethanol concentrations of 38.23 g/L. Thereafter, bioethanol production via fed-batch SSF with 12.5% (w/v) CRC was performed in 5-L bioreactor. The maximum ethanol concentration and ethanol productivity values were 31.96 g/L and 0.222 g/L/h, respectively. The thermotolerant S. cerevisiae TC-5 is promising yeast for bioethanol production under elevated temperatures via SSF and the use of second-generation substrates.

Efficient biological pretreatment and bioconversion of corn cob by the sequential application of a Bacillus firmus K-1 cellulase-free xylanolytic enzyme and commercial cellulases.

We used agricultural residue, corn cob, with biorefinery and bioeconomy concepts. At short-time cultivation in corn cob (12 h), Bacillus firmus K-1 produced cellulase-free xylanolytic enzyme, with xylooligosaccharides (XOSs), X5 and X6, as the main products, which can be used in a variety of applications. The xylanolytic enzyme produced from B. firmus K-1 effectively degraded xylan in corn cob, which was examined by chemical composition, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). After cultivation, the xylan contained in the corn cob residue was decreased (as biological pretreatment), causing morphological and structural changes, including creating porosity and increasing the surface area and the exposure of cellulose of pretreated corn cob. These results lead to an improvement of cellulose access by cellulases. Commercially available cellulases, Accellerase® 1500 and Cellic® CTec2, yielded significantly higher glucose concentrations from pretreated corn cob compared to untreated corn cob. After saccharification, the lignin-rich corn cob residue can be used as a raw material for other purposes. Moreover, the B. firmus cells, with a low risk to human health, can be used in some applications. This study presents an efficient method for producing high-value-added products from agricultural residue (corn cob) through biological processes which are environmentally friendly and economically viable. KEY POINTS: • High-value-added products were efficiently produced from corn cob byB. firmusK-1. • After biological pretreatment byB. firmusK-1, cellulase can better reach cellulose. • XOSs and cellulose-derived glucose were the main products from corn cob.

Valorization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Residues from Corncob into Lignin-Containing Cellulose Nanofibrils and Lignin Nanoparticles.

As a kind of biomass waste, enzymatic hydrolysis residues (EHRs) are conventionally burned or just discarded, resulting in environmental pollution and low economic benefits. In this study, EHRs of corncob residues (CCR) were used to produce high lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (LCNFs) and lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) through a facile approach. The LCNFs and LNPs with controllable chemical compositions and properties were produced by tuning the enzymolysis time of CCR and the followed homogenization. The morphology, thermal stability, chemical and crystalline structure, and dispersibility of the resultant LCNFs and LNPs were further comprehensively investigated. This work not only promotes the production of lignocellulose-based nanomaterials but also provides a promising utilization pathway for EHRs.

Pretreatment of lignin-containing cellulose micro/nano-fibrils (LCMNF) from corncob residues

The explorations of valorizing crop wastes have drawn more and more attention in recent years. Among them, preparing lignin-containing cellulose micro/nano-fibrils (LCMNF) is an extremely promising strategy. In this study, LCMNF with a significant amount of lignin were prepared from corncob residues (CCR) left from xylose extraction. The focus of the work was to explore the influence of different pretreatment methods on the properties of LCMNF and the barrier properties of resulting films. The pretreatment methods included alkali-sulfite (AS), alkali-hydrogen peroxide (AP) and mediator-free laccase (ML), in which lignin was the pretreatment object. The results show that AS and AP increase the reactivity of lignin and cause the partial dissolution of lignin. In addition, the residual lignin does not affect the fibrillation of the CCR, but it reduces the water retention value of the resulting LCMNF, compared with lignin-free cellulose micro/nano-fibrils (DCMNF) from fully delignified CCR. As a result, the water contact angles of films from LCMNF are increased. Although different pretreatments have different effects on the barrier properties of films from LCMNF, the three preprocessing methods decrease the water vapor permeability (WVP) and oxygen permeability (OP). Especially for AS pretreatment, the film gives the lowest WVP (1.72 g mm/(m2 day kPa), at 23 °C and 50%RH) and OP (0.85 (cm μm)/(m2·24 h kpa), at 23 °C and 0% RH), which makes it promising for further application in packaging materials.

Adsorption of Cd2+ Ions from Aqueous Solution Using Biomasses of Theobroma cacao, Zea mays, Manihot esculenta, Dioscorea rotundata and Elaeis guineensis

In this work, the mechanisms of cadmium (Cd2+) adsorption on residual biomasses from husks of yam (Dioscorea rotundata), cassava (Manihor esculenta), cocoa (Theobroma cacao), corn (Zea mays) and oil palm bagasse (Elaeis guineensis) were studied in order to evaluate the effect of temperature, adsorbent dose and particle size in a batch system. Isotherms and adsorption kinetics were determined and adjusted to different models. The biomaterials were characterized using the techniques of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). Results reveal that the possible mechanisms of Cd2+ adsorption in bioadsorbents were ion exchange and complexation with -COOH and -OH groups. From the experimentation, it was found that best conditions were presented at 55 °C, particle size 0.5 mm and 0.03 g adsorbent. The following biomass performance was obtained in terms of adsorption capacities: cocoa husk (CH) > corn cob residues (CCR) > cassava peel (CP) > palm bagasse (OPB) > yam peel (YP), according to the Langmuir and Dubinin- Radushkevich (D-R) models. The equilibrium of Cd2+ adsorption over YP and OPB was well described by Langmuir’s isothermal model, while for CH, CCR and CP the model that best fit experimental data was Freundlich’s model. The results of D-R model suggested that the process is controlled by physisorption mechanism with strong interactions among active sites and Cd2+ ions. The kinetics for all systems studied fit the pseudo-second order model. The values of the thermodynamic parameters established that cadmium removal is of endothermic nature and not spontaneous using YP and CP, and exothermic, spontaneous and irreversible when using OPB, CH and CCR. The results suggest the use of YP, OPB, CH, CP and CCR residues for the removal of aqueous Cd2+.

Assessment of pyrolysis-kinetics of corncob and eucalyptus biomass residue using thermo gravimetric analysis

ABSTRACT Agriculture and forest residues have a large energy potential and there are eligible to become sustainable promising energy resources in future. Present study deals with the analysis of thermo-physical properties, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and kinetics of corncob and eucalypts. The pyrolysis, Combustion characteristics and Kinetic deconvolution of biomass have been evaluated by thermo-gravimetric analyser from atmospheric temperature to 1100°C at a heating rate of 10°C/min. The kinetic analysis of biomass was determined by Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) methods. From the results, the average activation energies of corncob and eucalyptus were found as 91.29 and 77.21 kJ/mol respectively. The results showed that corncob was sensitive to rate of heating due to lower lignin content.