Thermogravimetric studies on the kinetics of rice hull pyrolysis and the influence of water treatment

Rice hulls were pyrolyzed in a thermogravimetric analyzer in a helium atmosphere to determine the kinetic parameters of devolatilization reactions. The pyrolysis experiments were conducted by heating rice hulls from room temperature to 1173 K at constant heating rates of 3, 10, 30, 60, and 100 K/min. The global mass loss during rice hull pyrolysis was successfully simulated by a combination of four independent parallel reactions, the decompositions of four major components in rice hulls: moisture, hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin. The activation energy for the decomposition of the nonmoisture components was in the order cellulose > hemicellulose > lignin. It was also found in the present study that the pyrolytic behaviors were significantly influenced by water wash prior to pyrolysis. The water wash elevates the peak temperature and the activation energy for the decomposition of each component of rice hulls. The volatile yields resulting from cellulose and hemicellulose decompositions during rice hull pyrolysis increase due to the water treatment, whereas those from lignin decomposition and the char yield decrease.