Application of chemometrics to study the kinetics of coal pyrolysis: A novel approach

In present investigation, chemometric tools, principal component analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) are used to get the linkage between the coal properties and kinetics of pyrolysis. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) of 10 perhydrous Indian coals was done. Devolatilization of these coals showed five independent reactions. Kinetic parameters were calculated for individual reaction. Activation energy and weight loss of each reaction has been analyzed as a function of coal properties (moisture, volatile matter, ash, fixed carbon, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur). By applying chemometric, was extracted information about the linkage between activation energies of each reaction and coal properties. The mathematical treatment of data has provided conclusions on properties of coal and kinetic parameters. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.