Comprehensive study on the thermal decomposition process of waste tobacco leaves and stems to investigate their bioenergy potential: Kinetic, thermodynamic, and biochar analysis

This work focuses on understanding the thermal decomposition process of tobacco wastes collected from ciga-rette factories, further evaluating the potential as bioenergy feedstocks. Thermogravimetric analysis was per-formed on waste tobacco leaves and stems under air and inert atmosphere. The calculated average activation energy of tobacco leaves is 173.11-173.91 kJ mol-1 (air) and 151.32-151.52 kJ mol-1 (N2), while it is 183.28-185.63 kJ mol-1 (air) and 168.50-168.81 kJ mol-1 (N2) for stems. Combined with kinetic and ther-modynamic results, waste tobacco can be considered as a potential bio-feedstock energy source. In addition, the microstructure and structural property of residual biochar after pyrolysis were investigated, which has high carbon content, large specific surface area with abundant porosity, indicating the application potential in catalysis, adsorption, energy storage fields. The work aims to pursue the full re-utilization of tobacco residues from cigarette factories, achieving the effect of recycling and turning waste into treasure.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the thermal decomposition of tobacco wastes and their potential as bioenergy feedstocks. Thermogravimetric analysis was conducted on waste tobacco leaves and stems in different atmospheres. The results show that waste tobacco can be considered a potential bio-feedstock energy source, with calculated activation energies ranging from 151.32-185.63 kJ mol-1. Additionally, the microstructure and properties of residual biochar after pyrolysis were investigated, indicating its potential applications in catalysis, adsorption, and energy storage fields.