ABSTRACT
Pyrolysis and kinetic behavior of banana stem (BS) were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The behavior of mass loss demonstrated that pyrolysis process of BS appeared in three stages with a conversion range of 0–0.20, 0.20–0.90, and 0.90–1, respectively. The reaction mechanism of BS pyrolysis followed the 3D diffusion model, with an apparent activation energy range of 130.63–192.10 kJ/mol and a pre-exponential factor range of 2.42×107–4.10 × 1010 s–1. Stages 1, 2, and 3 were mainly attributed to pyrolysis of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin with mean activation energies of 139.09, 155.41, and 188.71 kJ/mol, respectively. The experimental data obeyed the iso-conversional model well with correlation coefficients (R2) over than 0.9928.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Analytical and Test Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology for carrying out the analysis of BS samples.
Funding
This research was supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program (863 Program) of China (grant number 2012AA101809), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (HUST: 2015650011. cx14-011.cx14-012.CXY13q030).