Thermogravimetric Studies of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch and Palm Kernel Shell: TG/DTG Analysis and Modeling

The combustion behavior and characteristics of oil palm residues − empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm kernel shell (PKS) − were investigated in a thermogravimetric analyzer. A 15-mg sample of each biomass was heated from 30 °C to 900 °C at four heating rates (within 10−40 °C/min) in a dry air flow of 50 ml/min. The TG/DTG curves showing the degradation behavior and the combustion characteristics (specific temperatures) of the EFB and PKS samples were obtained from the thermogravimetric analysis and compared between the two biomasses. The kinetic equation with relevant parameters describing the time dependant biomass degradation was obtained for each oil palm residue according to the Coats-Redfern method. The findings revealed the excellent combustion properties of both selected biomasses. However, EFB exhibited higher thermal and combustion reactivity compared to PKS.