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Comparative pyrolysis, combustion, and kinetic modeling of twelve Cameroonian woody biomass

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Abstract

Pyrolysis and combustion processes of twelve Cameroonian woody biomass were performed in a thermobalance to determine their thermal degradation profiles and the associated kinetic parameters. Classical characterizations were first performed on the twelve woody samples. For the thermogravimetric analyses, the samples were heated from ambient temperature to 900 °C at four low temperature rates (5, 10, 15, and 20 °C/min) and under nonoxidative (pure nitrogen) or oxidative (synthetic air) atmospheres. The optimal values of the kinetic parameters of the twelve samples were determined considering the temperature rate of 5 °C/min and using the extended independent parallel reaction (EIPR) model with three constituents, plus the char under an oxidative atmosphere. The first-order reaction function was considered in the pyrolysis case for the three constituents and for the degradation under air of the hemicellulose and lignin constituents, whatever the sample. The second-order or fourth-order Avrami–Erofeev reaction functions were introduced for the degradation under air of the cellulose constituent or of the char. The optimal values of the kinetic parameters determined in these conditions were compared and led to quite good simulations of the mass and mass rate curves. ANOVA computations performed on the characterizations and on the optimal values of the kinetic parameters for pyrolysis or combustion of the twelve samples indicated that the mean values of these parameters did not present differences with a significance threshold equal to 0.05.

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Abbreviations

A comb :

Pre-exponential factor for the char combustion (1/s Pa)

A i :

Pre-exponential factor for the constituent i of the sample (1/s)

c i :

Fraction of the constituent i of the sample

\( {\left(\frac{\mathrm{d}m}{\mathrm{d}t}\right)}_{\mathrm{exp}} \) :

Experimental mass rate (kg/s)

\( \frac{\mathrm{d}{m}_{\mathrm{vol},i}^{\mathrm{e}}}{\mathrm{d}t} \) :

Mass rate for volatiles emitted from constituent i (kg/s)

\( \frac{\mathrm{d}{m}_{\operatorname{char},i}^{\mathrm{c}}}{\mathrm{d}t} \) :

Mass rate for char contained in constituent i (kg/s)

Eacomb :

Activation energy for the char combustion (J/mol)

Eai :

Activation energy for the constituent i (J/mol)

EIPR:

Extended independent parallel reaction (model)

i :

Label of each constituent of the sample

I :

Number of constituents to be considered in the thermal degradation

k comb :

Kinetic constant for the char combustion (1/s Pa)

k i :

Kinetic constant for the volatiles emitted from constituent i (1/s)

m(t):

Sample mass at time t (kg)

\( {m}_{\operatorname{char},i}^{\mathrm{c}} \) :

Mass of char produced from the constituent i (kg)

m fin :

Sample final mass (kg)

m ini :

Sample initial mass (kg)

\( {m}_{\mathrm{vol},i}^{\mathrm{e}} \) :

Mass of volatiles emitted from the constituent i (kg)

\( {P}_{{\mathrm{O}}_2} \) :

Oxygen pressure (Pa)

R :

Ideal gas constant (J/mol K)

\( {R}_{\mathrm{m}}^2 \) :

Determination coefficient R2 for the mass

\( {R}_{\mathrm{r}}^2 \) :

Determination coefficient R2 for the mass rate

\( {R}_{\mathrm{o}}^2 \) :

Overall (mass and mass rate) determination coefficient R2

t :

Time parameter (s)

T :

Temperature (K)

τ vol, i :

Fraction of volatiles emitted from the constituent i

τ char, i :

Fraction of char produced from the constituent i

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Centre for Collective Use in NArFU in Arkhangelsk, where the characterizations were performed for the twelve samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Institute of Technology, University of Douala, BP 8698, Douala, Cameroon

    Samuel Epesse Misse

  2. Laboratoire Gestion des Risques et Environnement (EA2334), Institut JB. Donnet, Université de Haute-Alsace, 3bis rue Alfred Werner, 68093, Mulhouse, France

    Alain Brillard & Jean-Fransçois Brilhac

  3. Department of Industrial Power Engineering, Higher School of Energy, Oil and Gas, Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Northern Dvina Embankment 17, Arkhangelsk, Russian Federation, 163002

    Pavel Mayandyshev

  4. Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Marcel Obonou

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  1. Samuel Epesse Misse
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  4. Jean-Fransçois Brilhac
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Contributions

Formal analysis and investigation, resources: Samuel Epesse Misse; conceptualization and writing original draft: Alain Brillard; formal analysis and investigation: Pavel Mayandyshev; supervision: Jean-François Brilhac; supervision: Marcel Obonou.

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Correspondence to Alain Brillard.

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Epesse Misse, S., Brillard, A., Mayandyshev, P. et al. Comparative pyrolysis, combustion, and kinetic modeling of twelve Cameroonian woody biomass. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 12, 3161–3181 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-020-00808-9

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