Thermogravimetric and kinetic analysis of thermal decomposition characteristics of low-lipid microalgae

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 150; pp. 139 - 148
• Main Authors: Gai, Chao, Zhang, Yuanhui, Chen, Wan-Ting, Zhang, Peng, Dong, Yuping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Activation energy; Analyzers; Apparent activation energy; Arthrospira platensis; Biological and medical sciences; chemistry; Chlorella; Chlorella - chemistry; Chlorella pyrenoidosa; Conversion; Differential equations; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hot Temperature; Integral equations; Kinetic; Kinetics; Lipids; Lipids - chemistry; Mathematical models; methods; microalgae; Microalgae - chemistry; Regression Analysis; Spirulina; Spirulina - chemistry; Spirulina platensis; Thermal decomposition; Thermal degradation; Thermogravimetric; thermogravimetry; Thermogravimetry - methods; Chlorella; Spirulina; Kinetic; Thermogravimetric; Apparent activation energy; Thermal characteristic; Thermal decomposition; Algae; Thermogravimetry; Lipids; Chlorophyceae; Chlorophyta; Cyanobacteria; Bacteria; Alga; Kinetics; Microorganism; Activation energy
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.09.137

•Thermal decomposition characteristics of microalgae Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Spirulina platensis.•Characteristic parameters of TG–DTG curves of the samples were calculated.•Apparent activation energies for decomposition of the two microalgae were determined.•Reaction mechanisms for decomposition of the two microalgae were evaluated. The thermal decomposition behavior of two microalgae, Chlorella pyrenoidosa (CP) and Spirulina platensis (SP), were investigated on a thermogravimetric analyzer under non-isothermal conditions. Iso-conversional Vyazovkin approach was used to calculate the kinetic parameters, and the universal integral method was applied to evaluate the most probable mechanisms for thermal degradation of the two feedstocks. The differential equations deduced from the models were compared with experimental data. For the range of conversion fraction investigated (20–80%), the thermal decomposition process of CP could be described by the reaction order model (F3), which can be calculated by the integral equation of G(α)=[(1−α)−2−1]/2. And the apparent activation energy was in the range of 58.85–114.5kJ/mol. As for SP, it can be described by the reaction order model (F2), which can be calculated by the integral equation of G(α)=(1−α)−1−1, and the range of apparent activation energy was 74.35–140.1kJ/mol.