Kinetics of pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse: effect of catalyst on activation energy and yield of pyrolysis products

In this work we have attempted to use biomass as energy source which is abundantly available throughout the world. The work is focused on pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse in a laboratory-scale pyrolyzer in the presence and absence of copper oxide (CuO). The bio-oil obtained was characterized using GC–MS. The bio-oil collected in the presence of catalyst was found rich in hydrocarbons (C8 to C54) as compared to (C1 to C21) in the absence of catalyst. This indicates that the catalyst induced the formation of more components due to high selectivity for certain hydrocarbons. Thermal analysis showed four stage weight loss profile from 20 to 600 °C, which is ascribed to water evaporation, decomposition of hemicelluloses, cellulose and lignin. Activation energy (Ea) values were determined using Ozawa Flynn Wall (OFW), Coats Redfern (CR) and Kissinger methods. From catalyzed reaction the Ea values for hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin decomposition were found lower i.e., (OFW average 69.22, 109.45and 121.23 kJ/mol), (CR average 85.91, 146.87 and 152.42 kJ/mol) and (Kissinger 83.14, 99.76 and 116.39 kJ/mol) as compared to un-catalyzed reaction i.e., (OFW average 71.12, 121.17 and 126.44 kJ/mol), (CR average 127.41, 166.27 and 169.10 kJ/mol) and (Kissinger 99.77, 133.02 and 232.79 kJ/mol) respectively. The results demonstrated that the catalyst not only lowered the activation energy for the degradation of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin, but also enhanced the quality of oil formed. The crude oil obtained, if upgraded properly, will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and would facilitate safe transportation and industrial use.