THE MULTI-COMPONENT KINETIC MODELLING OF BIOMASS THERMOCHEMICAL CONVERSION PROCESS

Abstract

Biomass is widely available RES with potential for conversion to energy through thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis, gasification, combustion or torrefaction. Thermal decomposition studies for biomass materials using simultaneous thermal analysis (STA), over a wide temperature range (from RT up to 900°C), at different heating rates and under controlled atmosphere could provide reliable data for further conversion process improvement. In order to facilitate this progress, an advanced multi-component kinetic numerical model based on STA experimental results is developed and validated. The presented method was utilized for determination of effective activation energies, pre-exponential factors and the fractional contribution of the structural pseudo-components of biomass (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin). A novel approach is introduced in order to determine the content of actual pseudo-components of tested biomass samples that are included in its composition. Comparative study of obtained kinetic results strongly indicated that the multi- component kinetic modelling method could be employed to predict the experimental biomass structural composition and thermal degradation issues.