Thermogravimetric study of Chlorella vulgaris for syngas production

The present study investigates the thermal degradation behavior of Chlorella vulgaris using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) to explore application as feedstock for syngas production. The biomass was heated continuously from room temperature to 1000°C at different heating rates (5, 10 and 20°Cmin-...

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Main Authors: Raheem, A., Sivasangar, S., Wan Azlina, W., Taufiq Yap, Y., Danquah, Michael, Harun, R.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2015
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19561
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author Raheem, A.
Sivasangar, S.
Wan Azlina, W.
Taufiq Yap, Y.
Danquah, Michael
Harun, R.
author_facet Raheem, A.
Sivasangar, S.
Wan Azlina, W.
Taufiq Yap, Y.
Danquah, Michael
Harun, R.
author_sort Raheem, A.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The present study investigates the thermal degradation behavior of Chlorella vulgaris using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) to explore application as feedstock for syngas production. The biomass was heated continuously from room temperature to 1000°C at different heating rates (5, 10 and 20°Cmin-1) under N2/air conditions at a constant flow rate of 25mLmin-1. Experimental results showed that the combustion process of C. vulgaris can be divided into three major phases; (1) moisture removal, (2) devolatilization of carbohydrates, protein and lipids and (3) degradation of carbonaceous material. A degradation rate of 80% was obtained at the second phase of the combustion process in the presence of air whilst a degradation rate of 60% was obtained under N2 atmosphere at the same phase. The biomass was further gasified for syngas production using a Temperature Programmed Gasifier (TPG). The effect of three different process variables, temperature, microalgal loading, and heating rate was investigated. The maximum H2 production was found at 800°C temperature with a biomass loading of 0.5g. No significant effect of heating rate was observed on H2 production. The activation energy values, based on the Kissinger method, were evaluated to be 45.38±0.5kJmol-1 (1st stage), 61.20±0.5 kJ mol-1 (2nd stage) and 97.22±0.5 kJ mol-1 (3rd stage). The results demonstrate a significant potential for the utilization of the microalgae biomass as feedstock for large-scale production of syngas via gasification.
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publishDate 2015
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-195612017-09-13T13:43:51Z Thermogravimetric study of Chlorella vulgaris for syngas production Raheem, A. Sivasangar, S. Wan Azlina, W. Taufiq Yap, Y. Danquah, Michael Harun, R. The present study investigates the thermal degradation behavior of Chlorella vulgaris using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) to explore application as feedstock for syngas production. The biomass was heated continuously from room temperature to 1000°C at different heating rates (5, 10 and 20°Cmin-1) under N2/air conditions at a constant flow rate of 25mLmin-1. Experimental results showed that the combustion process of C. vulgaris can be divided into three major phases; (1) moisture removal, (2) devolatilization of carbohydrates, protein and lipids and (3) degradation of carbonaceous material. A degradation rate of 80% was obtained at the second phase of the combustion process in the presence of air whilst a degradation rate of 60% was obtained under N2 atmosphere at the same phase. The biomass was further gasified for syngas production using a Temperature Programmed Gasifier (TPG). The effect of three different process variables, temperature, microalgal loading, and heating rate was investigated. The maximum H2 production was found at 800°C temperature with a biomass loading of 0.5g. No significant effect of heating rate was observed on H2 production. The activation energy values, based on the Kissinger method, were evaluated to be 45.38±0.5kJmol-1 (1st stage), 61.20±0.5 kJ mol-1 (2nd stage) and 97.22±0.5 kJ mol-1 (3rd stage). The results demonstrate a significant potential for the utilization of the microalgae biomass as feedstock for large-scale production of syngas via gasification. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19561 10.1016/j.algal.2015.08.003 restricted
spellingShingle Raheem, A.
Sivasangar, S.
Wan Azlina, W.
Taufiq Yap, Y.
Danquah, Michael
Harun, R.
Thermogravimetric study of Chlorella vulgaris for syngas production
title Thermogravimetric study of Chlorella vulgaris for syngas production
title_full Thermogravimetric study of Chlorella vulgaris for syngas production
title_fullStr Thermogravimetric study of Chlorella vulgaris for syngas production
title_full_unstemmed Thermogravimetric study of Chlorella vulgaris for syngas production
title_short Thermogravimetric study of Chlorella vulgaris for syngas production
title_sort thermogravimetric study of chlorella vulgaris for syngas production
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/19561