A thermogravimetric analysis of biomass wastes from the northeast region of Brazil as fuels for energy recovery

ABSTRACT

In this study, the energy potential of five types of biomass waste from cultures of banana (Musa spp.), cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.), babassu coconut (Orbignya speciosa), mango (Mangifera indica), and several flowers from the central hinterland of Ceará, Brazil was evaluated, to investigate their applicability as potential sources of alternative energy, for example, Briquettes. Many countries have been looking for new types of energy that are sustainable and clean, and biomass energy has been attracted attention in the last years because, is a renewable resource that, can be transformed in gaseous, liquid, and solid fuel. However, there are still many points that need investigation, for example, physicochemical properties and analytical characterization, energy efficiency, and cost. Therefore, the evaluation of the energy potential of biomass derived from a specific region is necessary. The thermal and oxidative behavior of the samples were evaluated by thermogravimetric (TG-DTG) analysis in atmospheres of nitrogen (N2) and synthetic air. For biomass characterization, the following analyses were done: immediate chemical analysis and high calorific value. The results showed that all the samples of biomass residues displayed high calorific values (>11 MJ/kg) and the immediate analysis showed that these residues displayed acceptable reactivities with a high volatile content (>70%). Average percentages were calculated for each parameter, and the following relationships were obtained for the different samples of biomass waste: Moisture (M): Mnitrogen > Mair; Volatile Matter (VM): VMair > VMnitrogen, and Ash Content (AC): ACair > ACnitrogen. The differences in the temperatures and decomposition rates of cellulose and hemicellulose enabled the investigation of the influence of oxidative and inert gas (synthetic air and nitrogen) upon the characteristics of waste decay, as well as inferences regarding the use of the thermogravimetric techniques in the study of the decomposition of different biomasses, for possible application as energy sources, as a quick, effective, and accurate tool.

KEYWORDS:

• Banana
• mango
• cashew
• babassu coconut

Nomenclature

TG: Thermogravimetric analysis

DTG: Derivative thermogravimetry

M: Moisture

VM: Volatile Matter

AC: Ash Content

WEC: World Energy Council

EU: European Union

CARD: Center for Agricultural and Rural Development

IEA: International Energy Agency

FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization

OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge CNPq (Process number 406697/2013-2) for financial support.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico [Process number 406697/2013-2].