Combustion Study of Phoenicicole Biomass in Algerian Oasis Using Thermogravimetric Analysis: Deglet Nour Cultivar Case

The importance of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) deposit could represent an interesting solution for sustainable and integrated energy valorization in Algerian oasis ecosystem. The objective of this work is to study the thermal behavior, under an oxidative atmosphere of the phoenicicole biomass main constituents related to the dominant cultivar, Deglet Nour. Thermogravimetric analysis is the approach used to study the pyrolysis behavior of this lignocellulosic biomass by the determination of the kinetic constant (activation energy, order of the reaction, pre-exponential factor) and the description of different thermal profiles. The results show that combustion process could be an interesting alternative energy recovery for the phoenicicole biomass. This is explained by the low activation energy which is estimated at an average of 29.06 k J/mol and the low residues generated by the thermoconversion. Furthermore, two types of phoenicicole waste have been identified by their combustion behavior: firstly the lif part characterized by their thermal stability due to the high lignin content and secondly the fruit bunch (ARJ) characterized by a great thermal reactivity.