Thermal kinetic analysis and characterization of water hyacinth biomass for renewable energy application

This study investigates the thermo-chemical potential of water hyacinth biomass, specifically its leaves (WHL), stems (WHS), and roots (WHR), as a viable source of renewable energy. The analysis of thermo-chemical potential of water hyacinth biomass, specifically from its leaves (WHL), stems (WHS), and roots (WHR), as a viability of renewable energy sources. Investigated Thermodynamic parameters, showing that the activation energies (Ea) for the different biomass components were effectively determined using the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), and Starink methods. The study observed that the enthalpy change (Delta H) increased with the degree of conversion up to 0.6 for WHL and WHR, and up to 0.7 for WHS before subsequently decreasing. The average Delta H values, according to the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) model, found to be suitable as 57.31 kJ/mole for WHL, 56.92 kJ/mole for WHR, and 85.72 kJ/mole for WHS. The Gibbs free energy (Delta G) values are 144.97 kJ/mole for WHL, 145.02 kJ/mole for WHR, and 137.78 kJ/mole for WHS, while the activation energy (Ea) values are 58.71 kJ/mole for WHL, 62.12 kJ/mole for WHR, and 90.95 kJ/mole for WHS. Additionally, the higher activation energy (Ea) for WHS (90.95 kJ/mole) compared to WHL and WHR indicates that WHS requires more energy to initiate pyrolysis.