Thermal behavior and reaction mechanisms of Moroccan agro-food residues during slow pyrolysis: a TGA and DSC study
摘要
Olive pomace (OP), grape marc (GM), and chicken litter (CL) are prominent agro-industrial biowastes that remain underutilized in Morocco. This study investigated the OP, GM, and CL biowaste physicochemical characteristics, pyrolysis process, kinetics parameters, and thermodynamic properties to explore their potential as energy sources. The characterization was evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), calorimetry, and elemental analysis. During the study, consideration was given to both single-step and multiple-step mechanisms. A better fit of the experimental data was achieved by considering a multistep mechanism with three different parallel reactions for the pyrolysis of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin. The obtained calorific values of OP, GM, and CL were 20.72 MJ/kg, 18.95 MJ/kg, and 15.21 MJ/kg, respectively. The respective activation energy values found for OP, GM, and CL range from 106–230.30, 75.95–178.59, and 89.2–234.23 kJ/mol. The respective pre-exponential factor, reaction model, and thermodynamic properties were also reported. Regarding DTG results, OP, GM, and CL pyrolysis is a multistep process with intricate reaction mechanisms. The analysis of physicochemical properties, heating values, and kinetic parameters/thermodynamic properties (Ea, ΔH, ΔG, and ΔS) shows that OP, GM, and CL are highly sustainable bioenergy feedstocks.