Assessment of kinetics and thermodynamic parameters of Cocos Nucifera using thermogravimetric analysis

Cocos nucifera is the most widely identified tree all over the globe. After consuming Cocos nucifera water, it is discarded as a waste. Hence, authors in the current study investigated the energy recovery potential of Cocos nucifera by evaluating kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. Thus, the energy recovery potential of Cocos nucifera is explored using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA analysis is conducted in the temperature range of 30 to 820 degrees C. During the TGA analysis, the Cocos nucifera sample is exposed to different heating rates which include 5 degrees C/min, 10 degrees C/min and 20 degrees C/min. Several models including Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), Flynn-Ozawa-Wall (FOW) and Friedman are employed to ascertain the kinetic parameters of thermal decomposition. The activation energy values attained using KAS, FOW and Friedman models for numerous conversion factors are in the range of 47.81-185.90 kJ/mol, 43.37-157.81 kJ/mol and 34.80-144.93 kJ/mol, respectively. Additionally, Coats-Redfern technique is employed to depict the pre-exponential factor. Moreover, thermodynamic parameters which include Enthalpy (Delta H), Gibbs free energy (Delta G) and Entropy (Delta S) are also delineated in the current study. The high heating value (HHV) of Cocos nucifera is determined as 16.60 MJ/kg, which illustrates the efficacy of Cocos nucifera as a feedstock for energy recovery. Both kinetic and thermodynamic results provide valuable insights for designing and optimizing energy recovery systems using Cocos nucifera as a feedstock.