Pyrolysis Kinetics of Byrsonima crassifolia Stone as Agro-Industrial Waste through Isoconversional Models

This study is aimed at the analysis of the pyrolysis kinetics of Nanche stone BSC (Byrsonima crassifolia) as an agro-industrial waste using non-isothermal thermogravimetric experiments by determination of triplet kinetics; apparent activation energy, pre-exponential factor, and reaction model, as well as thermodynamic parameters to gather the required fundamental information for the design, construction, and operation of a pilot-scale reactor for the pyrolysis this lignocellulosic residue. Results indicate a biomass of low moisture and ash content and a high volatile matter content (>= 70%), making BCS a potential candidate for obtaining various bioenergy products. Average apparent activation energies obtained from different methods (KAS, FWO and SK) were consistent in value (similar to 123.8 kJ/mol). The pre-exponential factor from the Kissinger method ranged from 10(5) to 10(14) min(-1) for the highest pyrolytic activity stage, indicating a high-temperature reactive system. The thermodynamic parameters revealed a small difference between E-A and increment Delta H (5.2 kJ/mol), which favors the pyrolysis reaction and indicates the feasibility of the energetic process. According to the analysis of the reaction models (master plot method), the pyrolytic degradation was dominated by a decreasing reaction order as a function of the degree of conversion. Moreover, BCS has a relatively high calorific value (14.9 MJ/kg) and a relatively low average apparent activation energy (122.7 kJ/mol) from the Starink method, which makes this biomass very suitable to be exploited for value-added energy production.

Automated summary

This study aims to analyze the pyrolysis kinetics of Nanche stone BSC as an agro-industrial waste by determining key parameters such as apparent activation energy, pre-exponential factor, and reaction model. The results indicate the potential of BCS for producing bioenergy products due to its low moisture and ash content and high volatile matter content. The thermodynamic parameters also suggest the feasibility of the pyrolysis process.