Thermogravimetric analysis and emission characteristics of two energy crops in air atmosphere: Arundo donax and Miscanthus giganthus

The aim of this work was to study the thermal behavior of two herbaceous crops (Miscanthus giganthus, Arundo donax) obtained from energy plantations. Thermogravimetric analyses were performed at 5 degrees C min(-1) under air atmosphere. The thermal degradation rates in devolatilization and combustion steps, the initial degradation temperature, and the residual weight were determined. The gas emissions and Particle Matter (PM) were also quantified. The thermal behavior of energy crops depends on the chemical composition. In fact, the initial degradation temperature for A. donax under air atmosphere was lower than for M. giganthus. However, the thermal degradation rate was higher for M. giganthus. Kinetic expressions for the degradation rate in devolatilization and combustion steps have been obtained for both energy crops. The comparison of the gas and PM emissions showed the same order of magnitude for both energy crops. In fact, 26.8 mmol/g of CO, CO(2), VOC and 1.8 x 10(13) particles/g were mainly emitted. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.