Kinetic study on the thermo-oxidative degradation of glyceraldehyde under different oxygen concentrations

The thermo-oxidative decomposition of glyceraldehyde under oxygen-contained atmospheres would be examined by TG-FTIR analysis involving mass loss history, evolution profiles of light gases and kinetic estimation. One mass loss stage around 140 °C ascribed to the polymerization of glyceraldehyde to intermediates is slightly influenced by the atmospheres. Another two main mass loss stages termed as the decomposition of produced intermediate and the sequent combustion of char residue was notably enhanced by the increased oxygen concentration. Two multi-step kinetic models considering the complex consecutive and competitive reactions are proposed to describe the decomposition process of glyceraldehyde under oxidative atmospheres. The acceptable fitting performance between experimental and calculated data can be obtained for both two kinetic models. The multi-step consecutive kinetic model is comparatively appropriate for describing the process, finding that the co-existence zone between the decomposition of glyceraldehyde and combustion of char is narrow during the thermo-oxidation process of glyceraldehyde.