Thermo-Kinetic and Thermodynamic Assessment of Syagrus Romanzoffiana Fibers for Bioenergy via Pyrolysis

Abstract

The increased need for renewable energy has prompted the investigation of agro-waste biomass as a viable feedstock for biofuel production. Among them, lignocellulosic fibers have great potential due to their quantity and good composition. The pyrolytic behavior of Syagrus Romanzoffiana fibers (SRFs) was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at six heating rates (5–30°C/min) in a nitrogen atmosphere (flow rate: 60 mL/min), across a temperature range from ambient to 800°C. Fiber samples (5–10 mg, 2–5 mm) were analyzed for kinetic and thermodynamic properties. Pre-exponential factors and activation energies were determined using four isoconversional methods. The goal is to assess their thermal stability, kinetic characteristics, and thermodynamic suitability for bioenergy generation. A three-parallel Gaussian kinetic model was utilized to simulate the pyrolysis of SRFs, revealing hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin as major pseudo-components. The Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS), Starink (STK), and Vyazovkin (VYK) isoconversional techniques were used to calculate activation energies, which ranged from 129.46 to 327.01 kJ/mol depending on the component. Thermodynamic studies indicated that the degradation processes are endothermic and non-spontaneous, with favorable entropy changes that enable effective pyrolytic conversion. These findings demonstrate that SRFs show strong potential as a sustainable cellulosic feedstock for bioenergy, supported by robust kinetic and thermodynamic analyses, though further validation of practical applications remains necessary.