Thermogravimetric Assessment and Kinetic Analysis of Forestry Residues Combustion

The development of combustion experiments in a controlled environment is essential for comparing different fuels and quantifying the influence of different key parameters. It is fundamental to understand the transport phenomena at the particle level to obtain reliable results and information for fur...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: João Pedro Silva, Senhorinha Teixeira, José Carlos Teixeira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/13/3299
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849319850063691776
author João Pedro Silva
Senhorinha Teixeira
José Carlos Teixeira
author_facet João Pedro Silva
Senhorinha Teixeira
José Carlos Teixeira
author_sort João Pedro Silva
collection DOAJ
description The development of combustion experiments in a controlled environment is essential for comparing different fuels and quantifying the influence of different key parameters. It is fundamental to understand the transport phenomena at the particle level to obtain reliable results and information for further proper biomass combustion modeling of large-scale equipment. Hence, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the thermal decomposition and kinetic of eight samples of forest biomass fuels in terms of combustion behavior by using the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique. The tests were carried out in an oxidizing atmosphere at a heating rate between 5 and 100 °C/min up to 900 °C. It was observed that, for all samples, fuel conversion follows a sequence of drying, devolatilization, and char combustion. Furthermore, differences in chemical and physical composition, as well as in structures and their thermal stability, justify the differences observed between the mass-loss curves of the different fuels. For this, the complexity of kinetic study is addressed in this paper by using different approaches: isoconversional and model-fitting methods. However, the use of isoconversional methods proved ineffective for determining reliable kinetic parameters, due to their sensitivity to particle conversion. A significant variation in activation energy was observed during the devolatilization stage, ranging from 47.92 to 101.30 kJ/mol. For the char oxidation stage, it ranged from 14.97 to 35.48 kJ/mol. These results highlight Eucalyptus as the most reactive species among those studied.
format Article
id doaj-art-4f36fbfa616543b2a75f1a5940295bda
institution Kabale University
issn 1996-1073
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Energies
spelling doaj-art-4f36fbfa616543b2a75f1a5940295bda2025-08-20T03:50:17ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-06-011813329910.3390/en18133299Thermogravimetric Assessment and Kinetic Analysis of Forestry Residues CombustionJoão Pedro Silva0Senhorinha Teixeira1José Carlos Teixeira2MEtRICs Research Centre, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, PortugalALGORITMI Research Centre, LASI (Laboratório Associado de Sistemas Inteligentes), University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, PortugalMEtRICs Research Centre, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, PortugalThe development of combustion experiments in a controlled environment is essential for comparing different fuels and quantifying the influence of different key parameters. It is fundamental to understand the transport phenomena at the particle level to obtain reliable results and information for further proper biomass combustion modeling of large-scale equipment. Hence, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the thermal decomposition and kinetic of eight samples of forest biomass fuels in terms of combustion behavior by using the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique. The tests were carried out in an oxidizing atmosphere at a heating rate between 5 and 100 °C/min up to 900 °C. It was observed that, for all samples, fuel conversion follows a sequence of drying, devolatilization, and char combustion. Furthermore, differences in chemical and physical composition, as well as in structures and their thermal stability, justify the differences observed between the mass-loss curves of the different fuels. For this, the complexity of kinetic study is addressed in this paper by using different approaches: isoconversional and model-fitting methods. However, the use of isoconversional methods proved ineffective for determining reliable kinetic parameters, due to their sensitivity to particle conversion. A significant variation in activation energy was observed during the devolatilization stage, ranging from 47.92 to 101.30 kJ/mol. For the char oxidation stage, it ranged from 14.97 to 35.48 kJ/mol. These results highlight Eucalyptus as the most reactive species among those studied.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/13/3299biomasscombustionforestry residueskineticthermogravimetric analysis
spellingShingle João Pedro Silva
Senhorinha Teixeira
José Carlos Teixeira
Thermogravimetric Assessment and Kinetic Analysis of Forestry Residues Combustion
Energies
biomass
combustion
forestry residues
kinetic
thermogravimetric analysis
title Thermogravimetric Assessment and Kinetic Analysis of Forestry Residues Combustion
title_full Thermogravimetric Assessment and Kinetic Analysis of Forestry Residues Combustion
title_fullStr Thermogravimetric Assessment and Kinetic Analysis of Forestry Residues Combustion
title_full_unstemmed Thermogravimetric Assessment and Kinetic Analysis of Forestry Residues Combustion
title_short Thermogravimetric Assessment and Kinetic Analysis of Forestry Residues Combustion
title_sort thermogravimetric assessment and kinetic analysis of forestry residues combustion
topic biomass
combustion
forestry residues
kinetic
thermogravimetric analysis
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/13/3299
work_keys_str_mv AT joaopedrosilva thermogravimetricassessmentandkineticanalysisofforestryresiduescombustion
AT senhorinhateixeira thermogravimetricassessmentandkineticanalysisofforestryresiduescombustion
AT josecarlosteixeira thermogravimetricassessmentandkineticanalysisofforestryresiduescombustion