CO-PROCESSING OF COAL AND BIOMASS FOR ENERGY GENERATION: CHARACTERIZATION OF THERMAL EVENTS AND KINETICS OF PYROLYSIS

P. BONELLI; D. ZILLI; J. GONZALEZ; A. L. CUKIERMAN

SOCHI , FEDERACION RUSA

Congreso; Eighth Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Combustion and Energy Utilization; 2006

RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, COMBUSTION INSTITUTE USA

Kinetics of pyrolysis of an Argentinean subbituminous coal, sugarcane agricultural residues (cane tops and leaves), and of a blend composed by both fuels (50% wt) is characterized from ambient temperature up to 950 °C by non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis. Weight losses for both fuels are consistent with their volatile matter contents, as assessed by proximate analyses. Two thermal events characterizes pyrolysis of the blend. It undergoes a similar pyrolytic behavior as the agricultural residues at low temperatures, up to 250 °C. For higher temperatures, it follows the pyrolytic behavior of coal, attaining finally an intermediate weight fraction between those determined for both fuels. The results suggest additive thermal behaviour due to lack of interaction. Thermogravimetric curves and thermal degradation rates profiles, for the individual fuels and the blend (50% wt), are properly described by a model which assumes variations in the activation energy with process evolution providing a suitable description of pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis over the entire temperature range.