Simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis for comparing burning characteristics between oleaginous and non-oleaginous microorganisms

► Simultaneous thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were applied to the studies of oleaginous and non-oleaginous microorganisms. ► The mass-difference baseline method, where the DTA curve for a small-mass sample was used as the baseline for a large-mass sample, was employed to quantify the endothermic and exothermic peaks on the DTA curves. ► A marked difference in heat energy between the oleaginous fungus and the non-oleaginous microorganisms was detected in the temperature range from 280 to 360 °C.